Jose Mourinho is still standing by Wayne Rooney despite dropping him in last weekend’s game against Leicester City.
Manchester United beat the Premier League champions 4-1 at Old Trafford, with the captain the most notable absentee from the starting line-up.
It was expected that the 30-year-old would make his return against Ukranian side Zorya Luhansk in the Europa League tonight, but that’s far from guaranteed.
The Daily Mail have it that Mourinho is reluctant to play Rooney in case he puts in another poor display, as the United boss is well aware of the criticism surrounding the star.
Admittedly, Rooney is also suffering from a back problem and if he returns before he is fully match fit, he could muster up another lacklustre performance like the one against Watford which saw him dropped in the first place.
Mourinho was furious with press criticism of his player, and insisted he will therefore only put him in the team if he thinks he is definitely up to it.
‘I think he really can’t afford to have a performance that is not really good,’ he explained.
“I’m here to protect him and not to put him in difficult situations.
“I was completely convinced about playing him from the beginning (but) with his situation in the last couple of days I’m not sure I will do that because of the situation you create for him.”
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