JOSE’S BOER WAR
‘Rash would be loser under Frank’
JOSE MOURINHO has hit back at Frank de Boer for questioning his management of Marcus Rashford.
Former Crystal Palace boss De Boer blasted Mourinho over the weekend for not giving Rashford enough game time.
But yesterday Manchester United chief Mourinho said: “I read something from the worst manager in the history of the Premier League.
“Frank de Boer, seven matches, seven defeats and zero goals. If Marcus Rashford was coached by Frank he would lose because he lost every game.
“What he was saying was not that it’s good for Marcus to have a coach like me
because the most important thing for me is to win.” Rashford, 20, scored both goals in United’s 2-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday in what was his first league start since Boxing Day. De Boer had said: “It’s a pity that the manager is Mourinho because normally he’s an English player you want to give him time and he can then make mistakes. “But Mourinho is not like that, he wants to get results. “If he has one or two not good games, he puts him out. He’s a young player, but he needs games. He’s so talented. You want to see him every week.” Mourinho added: “I try to give the best to the kid. I have to be honest and give the credit to the people of the academy that was responsible for his formation, to Mr Van Gaal who was responsible for his first season.
“But if you go to his numbers and how many matches he played with me last season, I’d say probably he is in the top five players, with more games in the two seasons I’ve been here.”
United host Sevilla tonight in their Champions League last-16 clash, with the tie finely poised following a 0-0 draw in the first leg.
Mourinho is sweating on the fitness of Paul Pogba for the game against the Spaniards after he missed the Liverpool game due to a thigh injury.
United have not reached the Champions League quarter-finals since 2014, and Mourinho admits there are plenty of better teams than his side left in the competition.
“I think we’re not one of the best teams in the competition, but when a team arrives in the last eight, anything can happen,” he said.
“When you’re in the last 16 it still looks really far to the final, but in the last eight you start smelling the semi-finals. “When a team gets into the last eight, the feeling is you are among the best.”