In a news conference following Monday’s tie with Liverpool, in preparation for their thursday night Europa League match, Mourinho made it clear to reporters that Manchester United have no “untouchables”. He contrasted it to his time at Chelsea, where in 2006 Moutinho described his squad as having nine players that would not be dropped.
Instead of individuals, Mourinho pointed to his club’s intangible qualities as untouchable:
“Untouchable in our team has to be the spirit, the commitment, the pride, the commitment to the club, respect to the fans. That has to be untouchable, not players.”
While not focused on individuals, Mourinho did respond positively when asked about recent signing Zlatan’s performance against Liverpool. Despite missing a fantastic opportunity, Mourinho stressed that he remains happy with the striker’s performance.
"I am really happy," Mourinho said. "He is giving us exactly what we need from him, what we expect from him."