Manchester United boss, Jose Mourinho has revealed that his game plan against Manchester City was ruined by midfielder, Marouane Fellaimi.
Mourinho said his plan changed because he was forced to start Fellaini in the game.
United were beaten 3-1 by City at the Etihad Stadium.
Star player, Paul Pogba, was a surprise omission from the team as he was unable to even make the bench due to a muscle strain.
Fellaini started in Pogba’s absence but the Portuguese manager said he wanted to bring on the Belgian as an impact substitute to disrupt City in the second half.
Asked if United missed Pogba, Mourinho told Sky Sports, “It’s not me after a defeat to be speaking about a player who was not here.
“Of course, we missed him. One of the things that broke our plan a lot was the fact Fellaini had to start the game.
“Because Fellaini is not in conditions to play 90 minutes.
“He was phenomenal in his effort but he was not in the condition to do it.
“And normally, I bring Fellaini to this game in the latest part of the game.
“Imagine this game with Fellaini coming on at 2-1 fresh with 25 minutes to go. That’s an important thing for us.”
Comments