Jose Mourinho Reportedly Backed by Manchester United Squad over Public Criticism

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho reportedly has the backing of the Red Devils' senior players despite his public criticism of Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw after they informed him they were not fit to play Swansea City on Sunday. 

According to an exclusive from the Sun's Neil Ashton, the club's senior stars "supported" the manager's criticism of Smalling and Shaw as they have "accepted that the only way to succeed under the Special One is to accept his ruthless regime."

Sky Sports News HQ shared Mourinho's comments:

According to Metro's Chris Winterburn, he added:

He also insisted it was normal for players who aren't 100 per cent fit to take the field, which pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy gave credence to, per Match of the Day:

According to the Telegraph's John Percy, Shaw has been left "baffled" by the comments as both he and Smalling have been playing with painkilling injections this season.

Percy added that "players have been left disillusioned by his approach in the dressing room and in training sessions."

Mourinho was left to field a back four of Ashley Young, Matteo Darmian, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo. Despite the somewhat makeshift defence, United were able to run out 3-1 winners at the Liberty Stadium to produce just their second win in eight league games.

Football writer Colin Millar believes the Special One was justified in his comments:

Sport Witness' Annie Eaves disagreed, particularly in the case of Shaw following his recent recovery from a broken leg:

As noted by the Guardian's Barney Ronay, Mourinho has a long history of demanding a "level of athletic masochism" from his players—that they play and fight their way through pain and fatigue—and typically being rewarded with the most success in his career with teams willing to do that for him.

While Shaw is yet to get back to his best for United after returning from injury, he perhaps does deserve to be handled with more care by Mourinho and a rift is the last thing the club need.

Equally, the 53-year-old's remit at United is to restore them to the kind of success they enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson, and to do that he needs more commitment and fight than his players have shown for the majority of the campaign thus far.

How the players respond to his comments could have a significant impact on their success going forward. If the senior squad members are supporting him it bodes well—the Red Devils need to be at their best when they host Arsenal in their next match.