Manchester United news: Luke Shaw left confused by Jose Mourinho's criticism following Swansea win

The 21-year-old is 'baffled' following the United boss's attack over his and Chris Smalling's decision not to play against Swansea on Sunday.

Luke Shaw is perplexed by Jose Mourinho’s reaction following the defender’s decision to not play in Manchester United’s 3-1 victory over Swansea on Sunday.

Shaw and fellow United defender Chris Smalling both deemed themselves unfit to play at the Liberty Stadium and they’re decision was met with some scepticism from Mourinho after the game.

The England international has only recently returned from a horrific leg break in two places and is believed to have had gained another knock in the same leg during United’s 2-1 defeat to Fenerbahce on Thursday night.

Gareth Southgate also claimed that he was unable to pick the former Southampton defender for England’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers due to ‘ongoing difficulties’ during his rehabilitation from the aforementioned injury.  

But it is believed that Shaw and Smalling, who hasn’t played for United since their damning 4-0 defeat to Chelsea last month, are both ‘baffled’ by Mourinho’s comments.

“Smalling doesn’t feel that he can play 100% with his pain, Luke Shaw told me this morning that he was not in the condition to play, so we had to build a defensive line. There is a difference between the brave, who want to be there at any cost, and the ones for whom a little pain can make a difference.

“If I were to speak with the many great football people of this team, they will say many times they played without being 100%. For the team you have to do anything, that is my way of seeing [things]. Of course, it is not just the players, it is the players and the people that surround the players.”

This isn’t the first time Shaw has come in for scrutiny from his manager this season either.

Mourinho singled out the defender’s mistakes as one of the key factors behind United’s 3-1 defeat to Watford in September.

The United boss questioned Shaw’s positioning for the Hornets second goal during the humiliating defeat at Vicarage Road.

Since his return to English football with Chelsea three years ago, Mourinho has surprised some with his tendency to pick out several players in the media for their poor performances, something he wasn’t accustomed to during his first stint in the Premier League.

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Jose Mourinho says Premier League makes it 'very difficult' for an English side to become European champions

Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Leicester kick off their Champions League campaigns this week while United play in the Europa League

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho believes it will be 'very difficult' for an English team to win the Champions League, due to the demands of the Premier League.

United's local rivals Man City kick off their campaign at Europe's top table this evening, as do Arsenal, while Tottenham and Leicester get their's underway tomorrow.

Mourinho will manage in the Europa League after the Red Devils failed to finish in the top four under Louis van Gaal last term, with the Portuguese taking his side to Feyenoord on Thursday evening.

The Special One won Europe's top prize as boss at Porto and Inter Milan, and has called for the Premier League to give sides in the competition preferential treatment when it comes to Friday night matches.

Guardiola will take charge of his first Champions League group game as City boss tonight

Wenger takes Arsenal to PSG

No English side has reached the Champions League final since Chelsea in 2012, with only two semi-final appearances since then for the Blues in 2014 and Manchester City last season.

Mourinho told the Daily Mail: "The Premier League and the internal competitions create a very difficult situation for the clubs.

"Other countries care a lot about the Champions League. In this country the Premier League will always come in front. The institutions that lead the competitions make it very clear.

"The institutions do not give you that little protection which can be crucial - 24 hours more, 48 hours more, to rest and prepare."

Wayne Rooney says Jose Mourinho has brought back a winning mentality

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney believes new manager Jose Mourinho has brought a winning mentality back to the club.

The Portuguese, who has 17 major trophies on his CV including eight league titles in four countries and two Champions League triumphs with different clubs, replaced Louis van Gaal this summer.

Although his predecessor won the FA Cup in his final match in charge the feeling at Old Trafford was the club was lacking the drive previously provided by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Rooney said Mourinho's arrival has corrected that.

"It's always great to get a new manager but when you get someone in the stature of Jose Mourinho he's great to work under and he's brought a winning mentality back to the club," the England captain told Manchester radio station Key 103.

"Manchester United as a football club we have to win and we have to deliver for him.

"There's pressure on the players but we're ready and I think this season we'll give a real challenge on all fronts.

"He's come in, he's been great with the players. The training has been hard but enjoyable.

"We're ready, we're working hard. We know it's a big season for us.

"He's made, in my opinion, some great signings who have gelled in really well with the squad so it's exciting times."

The 30-year-old starts the season needing just five goals to break United's all-time scoring record held by Sir Bobby Charlton but he is already looking at life beyond his playing days.

"I've started taking my coaching badges now so that will probably take about four or five years to complete," he added.

"Of course I've got a lot of experience playing football so I think it would be criminal If I didn't try and pass that knowledge on so hopefully when I finish playing I can get some role as a manager or coach and try and use the experience I've built up over the years."

Rooney described Mourinho as having "a good balance of being the manager but also being a friend to the players" but that may not be an opinion shared by some after the Portuguese reportedly began his summer clear-out with up to nine players said to be on their way out of Old Trafford.

Several national newspapers suggested Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who on Friday announced his retirement from international football with Germany, will be the highest-profile victim a little more than a year after he joined from Bayern Munich.

Defenders Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Tim Fosu-Mensah, Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair are also said to have been told they have no future.

Midfielders Adnan Januzaj and Andreas Pereira and forwards James Wilson and Will Keane make up the reported nine.

Since his arrival Mourinho has brought in defender Eric Bailly, midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and are understood to be pursuing a potentially record-breaking deal for Juventus' France midfielder Paul Pogba.

Jose Mourinho is the world's best coach - Aitor Karanka

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka says Jose Mourinho, who he worked with at Real Madrid, is the best coach in world football.

Jose Mourinho is the best coach in world football, his former colleague Aitor Karanka has claimed.

Middlesbrough manager Karanka worked with new Manchester United boss Mourinho at Real Madrid and the Spaniard described their time together as an experience "money can't buy".

Karanka will meet Mourinho's United in the Premier League next season and the 42-year-old explained what he has learned from the Portuguese.

"With Mourinho I learned the value of honesty; the need to explain what was best for the team," Karanka told Marca.

"Sometimes coaches tell you what you want to hear but over time you realise that it's not real.

"With him I learned to say what you thought for the good of the team."

Karanka is now planning for the new Premier League season and he insisted there is no residual tension from his walkout ahead of a Championship game against Charlton Athletic in March.

"That point in time shows you everything," Karanka said.

"I don't think there is a coach who, with a poor relationship with their players, wins six games and draws the last four to be able to win promotion to the Premier League.

"In the final game of the season, we had six players who were already there when I arrived. With all of them there is a more personal relationship now that has helped me to improve."

Jose Mourinho to Manchester United: Former Chelsea manager denies Red Devils deal

Jose Mourinho has denied the notion that he has agreed to become Manchester United's new manager, saying he does not have a deal in place with any club.

The Portuguese coach has been without a job since being sacked by Chelsea in December, which came after he oversaw the worst set of opening results by the Blues since 1979 - despite the fact he guided the club to the Premier League title six months earlier.

Mourinho initially said he wanted to return to management as soon as possible before the 53-year-old conceded he would prefer to wait until this summer to join a new team in order to have a full pre-season with his new players.

United are one of the clubs that have been heavily linked with Mourinho, with current coach Louis van Gaal coming under intense pressure for the Red Devils' below-par season.

But Mourinho has insisted he has not agreed to join the Old Trafford-based outfit, saying his current focus is on enjoying the upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix in Canada next month.

When asked whether he has agreed a deal with United, Mourinho told Sky Sports: "With nobody.

"I go to Montreal for the Grand Prix and carry on enjoying my life."

The former Chelsea boss reiterated a similar stance earlier this week when he refused to answer whether he was looking to go to United at the end of the season.

Revealed: Jose Mourinho organises this crucial deal ahead of Man United switch

JOSE MOURINHO is reportedly house hunting in Cheshire as his move to Manchester United edges closer.

The Sun claim the ex-Chelsea chief has an agent eyeing suitable properties.

La Liga expert Guillem Balague revealed yesterday that Mourinho's representatives believe they have done a deal with United.

But the Red Devils are yet to confirm their interest and it's thought Louis van Gaal could continue his reign at the Premier League giants.

Jose Mourinho's top five defensive targets for Manchester United

Sunday, 28th February 2016

JOSE MOURINHO is still widely expected to take over at Manchester United in the near future. According to Spanish publication Sport, he has a shortlist of five top defenders that he wants to bring to Old Trafford if he gets the job.

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Jose Mourinho is still expected to take over at Old Trafford soon - but who does he want to bring in?

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“Mourinho left the Galacticos under a cloud back in 2013 after failing to win a trophy in his final year at the club”

United's failure to unveil Mourinho as their boss for next season has put Real Madrid on red alert.

Spanish news outlet Fichajes have suggested that the La Liga giants want their former boss back at the Bernabeu.

And according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Real president Florentino Perez is weighing up whether to stick with current manager Zinedine Zidane.

The World Cup winner took over at the start of the year when Rafa Benitez was axed.

But his side slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Wolfsburg in the Champions League last night.  

Mourinho left the Galacticos under a cloud back in 2013 after failing to win a trophy in his final year at the club.

He enjoyed two years back at Stamford Bridge and won the Premier League last season.

But after a shocking start to the campaign he was given his marching orders in December.

Ranieri storms heights of English football with outsiders Leicester

LONDON (Reuters) - Claudio Ranieri's appointment as head of unfashionable Leicester City in July after a dismal and short-lived spell in charge of Greece raised some eyebrows, not least because the Italian had not managed a Premier League side since 2004. Few, if any, could have forseen him storming the pinnacle of English football.

After being sacked by Chelsea to usher in the Jose Mourinho era, Ranieri managed in Spain, Italy, France and subsequently Greece, where he lasted just four games.

An embarrassing home defeat for Greece by the Faroe Islands in November 2014 appeared to put Ranieri's stock at an all-time low but Leicester's ambitious Thai owners were ready to hand the 64-year-old another crack at management in the most popular league in the world.

That move now looks all the more astute with Leicester top of the league more than halfway through the season and continuing to defy those who thought their unexpected title challenge would naturally start to tail off.

Leicester, three points clear of Manchester City after 23 games, could scarcely now be more fashionable, the shooting star in a league so long dominated by names such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. Almost forgotten is their great escape last season when, having been bottom at Christmas, they won seven of their last nine games to beat the drop.

Under Ranieri, Leicester deploy a relentless counter-attacking game spearheaded by the dual attacking threats of playmaker Riyad Mahrez and striker Jamie Vardy.

"The thing with Leicester is they can mix their game up. They grind teams down, they adapt to situations accordingly. Primarily they sit back and hit on the counter with the pace of Mahrez, (Marc) Albrighton and Vardy," former Leicester captain Matt Elliott told Reuters.

"I think it's fair to say Ranieri has brought some game management and a little bit of nous to their play. You can see it from afar, everyone knows their jobs, they are well drilled."

Vardy, given licence to roam by Ranieri, is the league's top scorer with 16 goals and it is his partnership with Algerian international Mahrez, who has contributed 13 goals and numerous assists, that have paid rich dividends for Leicester.

THE LOOSE CANNON

Nicknamed "Loose", as in loose cannon, by his team mates, England international Vardy broke a Premier League scoring record with goals in 11 consecutive games in November.

While Vardy's value has soared, the reported 400,000 pounds ($570,000) Leicester paid to French Ligue 2 side Le Havre for Mahrez one year ago appears to be another bargain with his value now put at around 11 million euros according to transfermarkt.com.

Having earned the nickname 'Tinkerman' at Chelsea for constantly rotating his squad, many thought Ranieri would make wholesale squad changes when he arrived but this has not happened.

Ranieri also retained his predecessor Nigel Pearson's backroom team, including head of recruitment Steve Walsh, the man credited with bringing Vardy and Mahrez to central England.

Walsh had also scouted little known midfielder N'Golo Kante and persuaded Ranieri to buy him from Ligue 1 side Caen.

The energetic Kante has formed a telling partnership alongside Danny Drinkwater in front of Leicester's back four -- Ranieri's one tactical change was to revert to a four-man defence from Pearson's favoured three.

“For us he’s very important – he’s our engine. He’s like a battery. Every day he doesn’t stop. Also in the training I say ‘N’Golo, slow down’ and he’s up and down, up and down!" Ranieri said of the Frenchman who made the most tackles across the top five European leagues last season.

Kante and consistent left back Christian Fuchs, the Austria captain, have been the most impressive of Ranieri's signings with Japan striker Shinji Okazaki also adapting well to the Premier League.

But Switzerland captain Gokhan Inler and Tunisian defender Yohan Benalouane, the pair acquired at a cost of 10.6 million pounds before the season started, have had fewer opportunities to play.

Many still expect Leicester to drop away as the season rolls on to the business end; but for former captain Elliott, a top-four finish would be a remarkable achievement.

"I think they can stay in the top region. Winning it is a long shot. Champions League is a possibility," he said.

($1 = 0.7016 pounds)

(Reporting by Justin Palmer; editing by Ralph Boulton)

Chelsea's season will be a success if we win FA Cup, insists Guus Hiddink

Chelsea's season will be regarded as a success if they win the FA Cup according to boss Guus Hiddink.

The defending champions take on MK Dons in the FA Cup Fourth Round on Sunday knowing it is their best hope for a trophy this term.

Hiddink has only been in charge for just over a month having replaced Jose Mourinho, who was sacked with the club just one point above the bottom three in the Premier League.

The Blues have gone eight games unbeaten since Mourinho’s departure and look a different side under Hiddink.

When asked if winning the FA Cup would have to be regarded as a success, Chelsea’s interim manager said: “I think so. When you look at the table around Christmas, the team were one point off the relegation zone.

“We recovered a bit and made some steps with draws. Hopefully now we can make some steps with some victories.

“Then, still, you're not on top of the League where Chelsea should be competing in the top four.

“Going on the road to the FA Cup, it would be a huge achievement because the FA Cup is not an under-valued cup, neither in England nor worldwide. It would be an achievement.”

Chelsea are currently a lowly 13th in the top flight and face a trip to Watford just three days after the FA Cup tie.

Given they’re unlikely to finish in the top four, it has encouraged speculation over whether Hiddink will prioritise the cup competition and select a team accordingly.

But he explained: “I don't want to say that because we'd be neglecting the beauty of the Premier League, but the next step is about Sunday. I don't want to disrespect the Premier League, but that's after Sunday.

“It's (the importance of FA Cup) not just for me. I think a club like Chelsea must always go for a title. The targets in the past were the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup. We aim the group for targets. The FA Cup is a target.

“There are a lot of games in the FA Cup, the League and the Champions League, so we have to think very, very cleverly how to get everyone fit and maintain everyone's fitness.

“But the FA Cup is important for us. I don't think, at this moment, about the Wednesday game at Watford.”

Eden Hazard is expected to start though having barely played over the past six weeks due to hip and groin injuries.