“Our main striker is Zlatan, we need fast people around him against Leicester that was the best solution for us”- Jose Mourinho

The 30-year-old's first team spot seems to be in trouble after being dropped during United's Premier League win against champions Leicester on Saturday.

It seems Jose Mourinho held a private meeting with his captain Wayne Rooney after the Manchester derby. Mourinho told Rooney to address his form and that Rooney cannot complain about other players when he himself is not playing well.

But the Portuguese has said he dropped Rooney so as to enable the United team to exploit Leicester’s defensive set-up and he also insisted that Rooney will continue to remain the club's captain.

“But we thought against a team like Leicester, the way they defend we thought the best solution for us was to play with the two fast kids (Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard) and (Juan) Mata in a position where he can interact with these fast kids,” he said.

“When our main striker is Zlatan, we need fast people around him. Against Leicester that was the best solution for us.”

“My captain is my captain, if he is on the pitch or if he is at home.

“Sometimes I feel like you think I know nothing about football, but I know the rules of the game and can only play 11.

“So until they change the rules, I start with 11.”