London: Jose Mourinho has insisted the likes of high-profile Manchester United signings Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are far from “untouchable” players.
Both midfielder Pogba, a world record £89 million ($115m) arrival from Juventus, and striker Ibrahimovic have had their recent performances called into question.
When he was Chelsea manager in 2006, Mourinho suggested several key players were “untouchable”, indicating they had no chance of being dropped regardless of their form.
Asked if the same situation applied at Old Trafford, Mourinho replied: “No. That was a different Premier League and situation – it was the best team by far. It was a different story.
“Not untouchable. Untouchable in our team has to be the spirit, the pride, the commitment to the club, the respect to the fans – that has to be untouchable, not players,” the United manager added.
United captain Wayne Rooney has lost his place in the starting line-up, with the last four games seeing the veteran forward used as a substitute only.
Portuguese boss Mourinho refused to say if Rooney would start against Fenerbahce.
“I don’t want to give you the team, honestly,” he said.
Meanwhile former Liverpool centre back Mark Lawrenson said Rooney was now paying the price for launching his career as a teenager.
Lawrenson cited the example of former Liverpool and England striker Michael Owen who burst on the scene at an early age but had lost a lot of his youthful pace by the time he retired aged 33.
“Basically, when your legs go, your legs go,” Lawrenson told Britain’s Press Association.
“He’ll play lots of games for Manchester United, they’re not suddenly going to go, ‘Your legs have gone, you’re going to sign for someone else’.”