After Sunday’s draw with Swansea City, Manchester United Manager Jose Mourinho called on the fans to better support his side. Mourinho claimed that the supporters don’t truly know how much his team is struggling right now from fixture congestion and the injuries that have accrued from the heightened workload.
After the 1-0 win at Celta Vigo in the away leg of the UEFA Europa League semifinal tie, the Portugese reached out to his supporter base once again.
“We tried until the end to score goals but we missed chances,” Mourinho said of his side dominating the game, but only coming away one goal up. “The team was good, was strong and could make a strong atmosphere look nice.
“I think we played really well. A very good performance. It’s good. Now a match at Old Trafford. Let’s hope Old Trafford wants us to win because when they want, we win. Let’s hope.”
“I am pleased with the performance, not so pleased with the result/ At half-time it should be already — I don’t want to say three, but two. But the result is open and so next week a big match at Old Trafford.”
So there you have it, Mourinho is happy with his team’s overall performance, but not the end result. That’s understandable. United will now have to close it out next Thursday at Old Trafford, in order to reach the Europa Final May 24th in Stockholm.
Marcus Rashford was the man of the hour tonight, providing the game’s only scoring on a free kick. The Manchester United Twitter community hailed him as a hero, a la Luke Skywalker, this May the Fourth. #MayTheFourthBeWithYou
“[Rashford] is a 19-year-old kid, but a 19-year-old kid who is in love with football,” Mourinho added. “After every training session, he waits half an hour more to take free kicks and then waits for the opportunity.
“It’s just his mentality. He works, he works, he works. He’s very mature. Let’s forget the age because what matters is not the age but the quality.”
“He started the game already with a little problem. And obviously with the running he was feeling it. [Anthony] Martial was fresh and we thought we could still score because there was plenty of space to play.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times and NBC Chicago.com, contributes to Chicago Tribune.com, Bold, WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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