Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has hailed his side’s back three following their hard-fought Europa League draw against Rostov.
The Old Trafford club were held to a 1-1 stalemate in Russia, with Rostov star Aleksandr Bukharov cancelling out Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s opener.
United’s Portuguese boss Jose Mourinho opted to play a 3-5-2 against Rostov with the trio of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo in his back three.
And Mourinho has singled out his defenders, claiming the trio were solid against the Russian outfit.
“The game plan was that we know they don’t try to play – they tried to put the ball always to the front, into their strikers,” Mourinho said.
“That is the way they play on this pitch and so the best thing to do was to play three at the back.
“Our three central defenders had a very positive game. The midfield fought for the second goal and tried to give something in attack.”
Michael Owen Reveals Why He Felt Sorry For Man United Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Former Manchester United striker Michael Owen felt sorry for Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Russia on Thursday night and has defended Ibrahimovic’s performance in Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with FC Rostov in their Europa League encounter.
The Swede legend struggled to have an impact on the Europa League game in what were difficult conditions for him.
The former Sweden international however did get an assist after he teed up Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the away side’s goal in the first half.
However, Ibrahimovic didn’t have a lot of joy otherwise as he prepares to start his three-game FA suspension this weekend.
And former Liverpool star Micheal Owen speaking to BT Sport about Ibrahimovic’s performance, had sympathy for the towering Swedish centre-forward for his dogged performance in difficult conditions in Russia.
“Centre-forwards get all the plaudits a lot of the time. Sometimes when you’re away in Europe, it can be a thankless task as well,” Owen told BT Sport.
“It was not Ibrahimvovic’s night. It wasn’t a bad game [for him] but nothing really fell for him. He slipped a few times. The ball bobbled a few times. I do not think he played poorly. He led the line and he used his strength. It was a solid performance.”
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