Manchester United vs. Leicester: Jose Mourinho's Key Pre-Match Presser Quotes

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho refused to criticise captain Wayne Rooney's form ahead of Leicester City's visit to Old Trafford on Saturday. 

Per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, he said:

"

[Rooney’s] form is like Man United form. We are a team. We are not [Rooney] and we all started well, we all won four matches and we all lost three matches in the week, so that’s not [Rooney] and to be honest he didn’t play against Feyenoord, so he was not directly involved in that match.

Everybody is involved in every match, even the ones who are not playing.

"

The 30-year-old has come in for much criticism of late with his performances against Watford and Northampton Town drawing ire from fans and journalists in particular.

As such, his continued selection in the starting XI by Mourinho has similarly been scrutinised, while a three-game losing streak prior to beating Northampton had taken the shine off what had been a strong start to life for the Portuguese at Old Trafford.

Speaking to MUTV (h/t Sky Sports), he hit back at his critics after the Northampton win and described them as football "Einsteins." Per Metro's Chris Winterburn, he did so again during his press conference:

According to Winterburn, he added: "I am not upset with anything, I am such a lucky guy that I can't be upset with anything. The only thing that upsets me is the criticism to my players, my players are my players, I should protect them."

He also included a swipe at his critics as he opened up about opponents Leicester and the difficulty of retaining the Premier League title, per United:

Mourinho acknowledged his side had suffered a dip after making a strong start and spoke of the need to sustain performances throughout games and cut out individual mistakes. Per Winterburn, he said:

"

We like to say a very good start to the season was better than we could expect, we were guilty to raise expectations of people. We were punished by the fact we only played well for moments, in football you have to be consistent during 90 minutes.

It's a learning process, you make a mistake, especially individual mistakes then you have to learn. A team that works to a game plan during the week, you try to identify agreements between us and then an individual mistake punishes you.

"

Despite their poor form in recent matches, which has left United six points behind league leaders Manchester City, the Portuguese maintained the title is still their aim, per Luckhurst:

"

The first game is the same as the one that mathematically decides everything. I’ve always said since day one that my title ambitions are a motivational factor, a way of living. I don’t understand to be in this club and give a different message but I knew and I admitted immediately that was a very risky approach.

"

Lastly, he gave updates on his squad's fitness with Anthony Martial set to miss out:

According to Luckhurst, he seemingly confirmed Luke Shaw and Henrikh Mkhitaryan would be fit to play as he "clarified only 'Martial was out'."

It's vital United come away with three points on Saturday as they look to regain a foothold in the title race.

The Foxes have endured a mixed start to the season but will make far-from-ideal opponents—United are at home and in need of the win, which will play into their hands as they look to hit the Red Devils on the counter-attack.

Mourinho's comments could indicate Rooney will start, which, barring a remarkable turnaround in form, could also help Leicester.

Claudio Ranieri's side have thus far lacked the defensive solidity they showed last season, though, so even without Martial, United are more than capable of causing them problems—it promises to be an intriguing encounter at Old Trafford.