Jose Mourinho left Wayne Rooney out against Arsenal because he had other ‘faster’ players.
Mourinho said he left Rooney out not because of the England captain’s off-field controversy, but because he felt raw pace was most likely to trouble Arsenal’s back four.
“I thought we were going to have the ball,” Mourinho told national newspapers. “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 Mata, Martial and Rashford were faster than Wayne, better attacking opponents one to one in the last line. I thought it was the best option.”