Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has rubbished claims that manager Jose Mourinho was anxious ahead of his first match against fierce rivals Liverpool as the Red Devils boss
Mourinho’s side held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw on Monday night to leave the Kop and their manager Jurgen Klopp frustrated. This was, by large, due to the way the Portuguese boss set his side up, as the United eleven remained organised for majority of the 90 to deny the Liverpool attack a sniff at goal.
There were rumours circling around that the Portuguese was, in fact, anxious ahead of the North-West derby but club captain Wayne Rooney has come out and said that Mourinho was unfazed before the match at Anfield.
“He [Mourinho] was just like normal. He knew it was a massive game, probably the biggest game of the season, it was a game we didn’t want to lose,” said Rooney.
As reported by Squawka, Rooney, who started the match on the bench before he was brought on to replace Marcus Rashford in the 77th minute, also said that his side tried all out for the win despite the chances being few and far between.
“We knew it, the manager knew it, but we also wanted to try and win the game. We had a few chances and tried to get a goal, but we stuck to the game plan well, we just couldn’t get that goal.”
The match was marked by a typical Mourinho-like defensive performance by United, albeit without the presence of the dreaded “bus”. With exemplary performances from Ander Herrera and David De Gea in particular, the Red Devils fought hard and managed to earn a crucial point.
Jose Mourinho’s side next face Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday night, as United fans brace themselves to welcome Robin van Persie, who returns to Old Trafford for the first time since leaving the club last year.
