Mourinho hits out at pundits with ‘very poor’ record

Matt Stead

Jose Mourinho has used his programme notes to defend his Manchester United squad from pundits who criticise them.

United have already won the Community Shield and EFL Cup, and they travel to Stockholm on Wednesday to face Ajax in the Europa League final.

However, the Red Devils will finish the Premier League season in sixth place in the Premier League regardless of their result in Sunday’s finale against Crystal Palace.

“I have seen in the football media that certain pundits cannot understand why our players are tired,” Mourinho wrote.

“A pundit is not honest if they cannot forget their colours or if they try to hide the truth from their audience. It’s not my fault if their managerial career was very poor.

“Our main golascorer, Zlatan, has had major knee surgery, as has a top central defender in Marcos Rojo. Luke Shaw has had surgery at a time when he hit his best form. Phil Jones and Chris Smalling had important injuries at the same time.”

He continued: “Our postponed fixtures accumulated to the last month of the season, and in the last two months of the season we have played 16 matches. Don’t we deserve respect for that? Didn’t we deserve to be analysed in this context?

“Didn’t this team fight every second of every match? Didn’t this team win the Community Shield and League Cup? Didn’t this team beat the club record of 25 Premier League matches unbeaten in the same season? Isn’t this team going to play a European final next Wednesday?

“I have to stand up and say that my boys deserve all my respect, and with my boys I will walk to Stockholm.”