Mourinho: This Is Why I Dropped This Player Against Newcastle

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was not part of the squad that played Newcastle United on Saturday at Old Trafford, and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has made it known that he only decided to drop the Armenian playmaker ‘for tactical reasons’.

Jose made a number of changes to his line-up for the premier league game that ended 4-1, and the fans were particularly pleased to see Paul Pogba back to action.

The Portuguese tactician also sidelined Ivorian defender Eric Bailly while giving Victor Lindelof a rare start against Rafa Benitez’s side.

And Jose, speaking about his selection before the 4-1 win, said Henrikh was not included in the starting eleven simply due to ‘tactical reasons’.

The former Chelsea boss also offered a brief update on Eric’s absence on Saturday, confirming that the Ivorian star is injured.

The former Villarreal defender is believed to have picked up a slight knock in training with his side, since he couldn’t play for his country in their World Cup qualifier against Morroco due to suspension.

Additionally, Jose will be very much delighted to have Paul Pogba back in his team for the first time since September.

The France international sustained a hamstring injury during Man Utd’s Champions League group stage game against Basel, and he has been sidelined since then.