Football news - Jose Mourinho claims he was 'taken out of context' after United 'spoilt kids' rant
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ByEurosport
Updated 23/11/2018 at 15:13 GMT
Jose Mourinho has criticised Manchester United players Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford for lacking "character" and "personality".
Jose Mourinho, right, insists Marcus Rashford gets plenty of playing time with Manchester United
Image credit: PA Sport
He named four players in Shaw, Martial, Lingard and Rashford in an interview with former Barcelona and Bulgaria striker Hristo Stoichcov. Mourinho said certain players "lack character and personality" ahead of their home match with Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.
"They are spoilt kids now, the kids of today have a different life, an easier environment and I'm talking about the people around the players," he said.
Mourinho later claimed his quotes were "taken out of context" and said to the media on Friday afternoon:
I don't play your game. I don't play the game of the 'take out of context'. And do what you want. I don't play your game and I have nothing to say. I don't lose my time playing that game.
The Portuguese coach had already slammed several of his squad after the 3-1 defeat to West Ham in September by suggesting "some care more than others". “I can have complaints with quality and mental approach,” he said after losing at the London Stadium. “You have to try always and that is my nature as a football professional."
But with United languishing in eighth spot in Premier League, 12 points behind city rivals Manchester City after only 12 matches, Mourinho has taken time to launch another verbal tirade by claiming modern players don't care as much as they did in the past.
"They are lacking maturity. And let me be clear when I say maturity, I mean maturity on a personal level," said Mourinho as quoted by the Daily Mail via Univision.
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Anthony Martial has had his differences with Jose Mourinho
Image credit: PA Sport
"We had more men, we were more mature, we were more prepared for life, we were less protected.
"They are spoilt kids now, the kids of today have a different life, an easier environment and I'm talking about the people around the players."
The full translation
The Manchester Evening News have listed a full translation of the quotes from Mourinho, who says: "In English they call it ‘spoilt’, ‘spoilt kids’. Our kids are more spoilt than we were by our parents. We are more mature, we are better prepared. For young people now, it’s a different life on a social level compared to ours.
Today's players also in their surroundings, they have a word that was used a lot in Barcelona, entorno [environment] that they use in a more global, holistic sense in relation to the club. When I use the word I use it more in relation to a personal environment. To the people who surround the players, who protect them too much, who give them – in my opinion – too much care, too many excuses. There’s always an excuse for everything. People are maturing more slowly. For example, the young lad Luke Shaw, who is the left-back of the national team, who arrived there [at United] two years before me. He didn’t know how to compete. He had great potential, yes, but he didn’t know how to compete.
"When we talk about Luke Shaw, [Anthony] Martial, [Jesse] Lingard, Marcus Rashford, we’re talking about young lads but who also are still missing a word that I can’t use but you like to use. They are missing a bit of that. Character, personality, as they say in Spain as well, bad blood, that natural aggression that you had."
Jose: We can still reach top four
Meanwhile, Mourinho believes his team can break into the Premier League's top four before the end of the year despite languishing in eighth place, seven points off the Champions League qualification spots. United face Crystal Palace with Mourinho having an almost full-strength squad to pick from.
I know it’s a big gap but I also know until the end of December if I’m not wrong we have eight Premier League matches to play, and with eight Premier League matches we are speaking about 24 points. "24 points for us to fight for, the other ones in the top four to fight too, but I believe we are going to be there.
Mourinho's side face some tough tests before the end of the year, however, with Arsenal visiting Old Trafford on Dec. 5 and United travelling to Anfield to take on Liverpool on Dec. 16.
United's last outing, before the international break, was the 3-1 defeat to Manchester City and since then Mourinho says some of the injuries in his squad have healed. "Anthony Martial stayed with us, he didn’t go to the national team, the national team was aware of his problems and with permission he stayed, he worked really hard on that," Mourinho said, referring to the French forward's muscle problems.
"He was in a pre-injury situation, he worked really hard, he’s ready for tomorrow, he plays for tomorrow. Is he ready to play three in a row in the same week? I don’t know, but the most important match is the next," he said. Midfielder Marouane Fellaini also skipped national-team duty and is fit to face Palace and Mourino said there was good news on other concerns.
"The boys in the national teams, (Marcus) Rashford came with a little problem but is ready, (Romelu) Lukaku is ready, I would say ready with a little bit of a risk, but ready and Paul (Pogba) we knew with this break he would recover from that small muscular injury, so we don’t have players I can say are out of the game tomorrow. We have a huge group of 23 to choose from for tomorrow."
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