Options, just options - Mourinho explains Sanchez axe
Jose Mourinho shook up his Manchester United line-up for the trip to West Ham and confirmed that Alexis Sanchez had been dropped.
Published : Sep 29, 2018 17:25 IST
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has suggested that the decision to omit Alexis Sanchez, Jesse Lingard and captain Antonio Valencia from his team to face West Ham was purely tactical.
Paul Pobga was named in the visitors' XI at London Stadium after a fraught week that saw the perceived deteriorating relationship with his boss played out in public.
But, there were surprises elsewhere in the United side, not least Sanchez and Lingard being omitted from the matchday 18, along with Valencia despite Pogba being stripped of the vice-captaincy. Asked for the reason why the trio were not involved, Mourinho told BT Sport : "Options, just options."
Chile forward Sanchez struggled for his best form after joining United from Arsenal in January and is yet to find the net in five Premier League outings this season. "It's a difficult match for us but we believe in the work we did in the week and we are positive," Mourinho added.