Jose Mourinho Reveals Why Wayne Rooney Was Benched Against Arsenal

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After a week of intense speculation surrounding his Manchester United captain, Jose Mourinho has revealed that Wayne Rooney’s absence from his starting XI against Arsenal on Saturday was tactically based rather than a response to tabloid stories about his off-field activities, 90min reports.

Speaking in the aftermath of a dramatic 1-1 draw, Mourinho said (via the Mirror) that Rooney was left out due to a lack of pace – with younger, more nimble players suiting his gameplan better.

He said:

“I thought we were going to have the ball. Arsenal are a team who let the opponents play. I thought we would have space and the ball would arrive quite easily to the attacking players.

“I believed ones like Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford were faster than Wayne – better attacking opponents one-to-one in the last line. I thought it was the best option.”

He had plenty of praise for his team after Olivier Giroud’s late equaliser snatched two points away from his side, claiming:

“The midfield is playing very well. Pogba, Carrick and Herrera are playing very well.

”The defenders, the way Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo performed, were so solid and confident. We defended high and were compact when we had to be.

“It was a very good performance, but I go home with the feeling that I lost against Arsenal in the Premier League. Pogba is adapting much better in relationships, with the intensity of the competition and he’s much more confident.

“Obviously he plays with some guidelines over his position, but at the same time with some freedom to occupy some attacking areas where he feel and thinks he can be important. He’s comfortable on the pitch. That’s the best way of saying it.”