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Jose Mourinho has named only one player, Romelu Lukaku, untouchable since taking over at Old Trafford. But even the beloved sergeant of United's boss has been abandoned this season.
Lukaku, who is nearing the scoreless 1,000 minutes, only started one of the last four games, while he was previously one of the first names on the match sheet.
The message is clear – no one is more sure of the place occupied – and even the biggest income of United, Alexis Sanchez, was excluded from the two matches this day.
When they are in shape, only a few players are regulars. David de Gea and Luke Shaw have always been there when they have been available since the first game of the season against Leicester, while Nemanja Matic has retained his place since his injury to the abdomen in August.
It is easy to forget that Chris Smalling, another regular player, was initially absent from the team for the first two games of the season when Mourinho paired Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly. My boy, is it already a lifetime?
Man Utd 1-0 reaction of young boys
Mourinho cut and changed at will as he tackles the toughest period of his reign, regularly bringing four or five changes to his side, match by match.
During the first four months of the season, at different times, we saw 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 and 3-4-3; Scott McTominay and Ander Herrera were used in defense; Andreas Pereira has not started a match since 19 August although he played in the first two games; Anthony Martial, the club's top scorer, only got a starting point last month.
Mourinho used his team more than expected – 22 different players have already started the league this season – and this is not usually his style. Only Fulham has made more changes to his starting lineup in the Premier League this season than United.
This is not an elaborate rotation plan. Mourinho's "less, it's more" approach focuses on training rather than aimless rounds around the field in an effort to reduce the number of injuries suffered by his team.
This helped Mourinho to choose his best team every week in Porto, Inter and Chelsea and this continuity was crucial to his success in these clubs. At United, you'd do well to predict the bench these days – not to mention the starting lineup.
Take Tuesday's victory against the Young Boys when Mourinho treated the match as a knockout encounter and chose players who could cope with "a little bit of pressure" after questioning the heart of his team a few days ago.
Three of United's top rookies, Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Sanchez, were not in the starting blocks. Bailly was an unused substitute. Diogo Dalot was not even summoned to the hotel teams for the pre-game meal and meeting.
Mourinho relied instead on a motley crew bought or brought by three of his predecessors, Louis van Gaal, David Moyes and Sir Alex Ferguson, and the sight of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling lined up in the center-back reminded him of some memories.
Indeed, one of the reasons why De Gea has been so busy in 2018 is that he has not had a well-established defense in front of him. Something that Smalling, United's most used defender, had to adapt to.
"It's not ideal, I think you can see that when you have a coherent partnership, you can see that there is less chance that chances will be given," he said. . "It's what it is and it's something that we get used to and that we usually play with each other at the same time." 39; drive ".
United has more need than ever for stability – but do not be surprised if Mourinho is stirring things up again for the trip to Southampton on Saturday. The Premier League has a new Tinkerman.
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