Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has appeared to criticise the attitudes of Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling following his side's 3-1 victory over Swansea City this afternoon.
Mourinho revealed before the game that Smalling had ruled himself out as he was not 100%, while Shaw informed him on the morning of the match that he was "not in condition to play".
Their absence did not affect United as they returned to winning ways in comfortable fashion at the Liberty Stadium, but after the match Mourinho suggested that the pair need to be braver.
"There is a difference between the brave, who want to be there at any cost, and the ones for whom a little pain can make a difference," he told Sky Sports News.
"Of course, it is not just the players, it is the players and the people that surround the players. [Changing that] takes time, but it will not be an impossible mission."
Mourinho later added in his press conference: "We have players with problems, players on the pitch with problems. Every sport - and I know that because I have friends from other sports who play at the highest level - you play when you are not 100%.
"I have a friend who is a big tennis player and he remembers more the times he plays in pain than without any pain. That's what I mean, to compete you have to go to the limit. It is a cultural thing for some. But that's not my culture. And more than me, Man United's [culture]."
Smalling and Shaw were both left out of the England squad to face Scotland and Spain later this month.
Barney Corkhill
