Reporter:

Well good afternoon, you’ve got a very big week ahead. How do you kind of deploy your resources, your players? Do you give some of your squad players the chance to play in the FA cup?

 

Jose Mourinho:

No, first of all, let me introduce you the gentleman that in Manchester United Unicef dinner made a bid and has my- my no! His watch, and made an unbelievable donation to the Unicef kids so he stays with us for this press conference

 

Reporter:

Does he get a game tomorrow?

 

Jose Mourinho:

If he wants. If he wants. If he wants, no problem.

 

Reporter:

Does he get to ask questions because that might be a bit embarrassing for us?

 

Jose Mourinho:

Um-

 

Reporter:

How do you see the week panning out with the players you’ve got and the games you’ve got to play?

 

Jose Mourinho:

Look, first of all, we have zero injuries. And, out of 27, we have 26 players available and the one that is not available is Bailly - in this moment in holidays in Dubai with Ivory Coast but to play the African cup. So, it’s an amazing moment for us because everybody is ready. Some tired? Yes, some tired. The accumulations of matches and to play two matches in three days - some tired. Some not. The ones that are not playing a lot with an incredible desire to have a chance to play. So, I’m going to make some changes, yes, I’m going to make some changes but our players are all of them good players. I trust them all, and in spite of we play against a very good opponent - very good, I repeat, very good - I trust my players and if we are in the right frame of mind, will be difficult but I think we can win.

 

Reporter:

You’ve made Morgan Schneiderlin’s position at the football club clearer, is there any progress on that? And also, what’s the situation with Memphis depay? Is he free to leave?

 

Jose Mourinho:

Their situation is exactly the same. Both of them. I will allow them to leave, the club will allow them to leave if the right offer comes and until this moment no. Is this a good situation? No. Why not? Because, I don’t think about them as options in this moment I don’t think about them as options. In normal conditions, probably they would be selected for the match tomorrow they aren’t. Because we are waiting for something that a couple of weeks ago looked like 100% and in this moment, looks like 0% - because we don’t have any offer that is close to the quality of the players.

 

Reporter:

Are you looking for a permanent deal rather than any loan deal for either of them?

 

Jose Mourinho:

Yes.

 

Reporter:

Jose, one of the players that you have picked is Bastian Schweinsteiger who’s bene on the bench recently. Could he actually start tomorrow?

 

Jose Mourinho:

He’s selected again. He’s selected again. So, he can start, he can be on the bench but he’s an option for us. I think it’s the best way to describe. For many months, he wasn’t an option - we made that decision. When we brought him back in the first couple of weeks he was not an option. He was not obviously ready to compete but since then working very well. Never an injury. He was ill last week, but never an injury, so his body is fine. He’s training very well.

 

Reporter:

Does that mean you that you don’t regard him as someone who will definitely leave like Schweinsteiger (pretty sure he means Schneiderlin) or Memphis because everyone has thought that once the window came that he would go to America or somewhere.

 

Jose Mourinho:

No, again, and if my approach because I think it’s the right one by the human point of view. If a player is not playing I cannot stop a player to leave if the offer is right. And, obviously, Bastian played with us, some minutes, against West Ham and no more than that but he wants to stay, he is staying, he is an option. Because he is an option he is selected for tomorrow. He was selected for Crystal Palace. He was selected for, I don’t know, Middlesbrough or Sunderland I don’t remember but he was selected for three or four matches he’s an option so he’s waiting for his opportunity to play. He’s waiting for that, and I think January is a good month for that with so many matches.

 

Reporter:

Jose this game will see Jaap Stam will return to Manchester united, something the fans will look forward to. How does that add to the dynamic of the occasion as far as you’re concerned? What do you make of that situation?

 

Jose Mourinho:

No, I’m very respectful with every player that made the history of my club and I was always feeling that in every club and obviously, Man United is not different. And everybody knows what is Jaap’s history in this club and for sure, for sure he’s going to have a great reception by the fans and I’m more than happy with that - but I think he prefers, I think he prefers that I speak about him as a manager and not as a player, because as a player everybody knows. As a manager, not everybody knows and I have to say what I feel. A team that plays like Reading the manager has to be very good. So, I think it’s the best compliment I can have to him is that after analyzing three or four matches of reading the way they play football the way they are positive, the manager has to be very good.

 

Reporter:

For united as well this could be eight wins in a row for the first time in many years. Different competition, but with Chelsea losing as well - dropping points in the week - I mean, how good could this week be?

 

Jose Mourinho:

You know the week is good if we win. And in the FA Cup, I don’t think we don’t need to go to Reading - wouldn’t be a good thing for us, and would be even worse if we lose and we are out of the competition in the first round for us. So, we have to try to win. The six victories in the premier league important? Yes, because we lost so many points that we need points and we got 18 in a short period of time and that’s the most important thing for us. But now it’s Reading and Hull City in the Semi-final and Semi-final of the league cup is very important for us too. So, busy time for us but we’re in a good situation with every player available so we are very positive to face these two matches at home, both in the cups, and then we’ll have Liverpool - but Liverpool is long time to go.

 

Reporter:

Jose, obviously, you’ve got a goalkeeper you can rely on in David De Gea, but are you pleased he’s perhaps not making the same headlines he has done in past seasons?

 

Jose Mourinho:

I think when a goalkeeper is the player of the season, it’s because something is wrong. I would, of course I would love goalkeepers to be recognized, I would love a goalkeeper to win the gold ball - I would like a goalkeeper to be the player of the season in the Premier League because Goalkeepers are these lonely guys with a different shirt to everybody else. When a goalkeeper plays phenomenal, people forget. When they make a mistake, everybody remembers. That’s why in the last game I hugged David in the end of the game because I think - no save, Antonio goal, no 3 points. But the reality is that when season after season the goalkeeper is the player of the season it means that something is wrong. Hopefully, he’s not the player of the season this season - but hopefully he keeps doing important saves for us like he did in the last match. I repeat, I think Antonio goal with 25 mins to go against West Ham - the way they were organized in defending - I think very difficult to get three points.

 

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Source: Everything MUFC - https://youtu.be/-z1zm_tkGdM