Manchester United played second best throughout their encounter with Juventus with the Old Lady controlling the game. Paulo Dybala netted the only goal of the game as Juve defeated the Red Devils 1-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday night of the UEFA Champions league. Former United attacker Crsitiano Ronaldo provided the assist for the goal on his return to the theatre of dreams.
The Manager began the game with talented players but was forced to feature them for 90 minutes as no replacement were on the bench. Alexis Sanchez, Jesse Lingard and Marouane Fellaini were absent, as Tahith Chong was the only attacking threat on the United’s bench. Jose Mourinho however refused to feature the 18 year old and was quick to justify his reasons.
In statement in the club website, Mourinho said: “Bear in mind Sanchez was in the stand”. “Lingard was in the stand. Fellaini may have been in the stand or at home as I didn’t see him”. “The only really attacking option was a young 18-year-old lad who has never played in the first team before. Given the dynamic of the game, I didn’t feel it was appropriate to bring him on”.
“You can’t expect a kid making his debut in a game like this to give you something like scoring a goal. So that’s why I didn’t make any changes on the pitch”.
Mourinho further revealed that Fellaini’s absence was a loss to the team as he revealed the Belgian provided room for tactical alterations.