Mourinho confirms Rooney is fit to face Arsenal

Jose Mourinho has confirmed Wayne Rooney is available for Manchester United's game against Arsenal, with the manager stating "we know what didn't go well" regarding his captain after the striker apologised for being photographed out late when on England duty.

Rooney left Gareth Southgate’s squad at the start of the week due to a minor knee injury that prevented his selection for Tuesday’s friendly draw with Spain.

The captain had played in Friday night’s World Cup qualifier victory over Scotland but was then pictured at a wedding until the early hours of Sunday morning at the team’s hotel in Hertfordshire.

Rooney, along with the rest of the squad, had been given the evening off yet he still felt moved to offer an unreserved apology for “inappropriate” images.

“Over the last two or three days, nothing happened,” said Mourinho. “He trained like everybody else, he wants to play like everybody else. He is ready.

“What happened in the national team, happened in the national team. I don‘t comment. My players when they go to the national team, they belong to the national team. What happens there for good, for bad, I don‘t interfere and I don‘t like to comment.

“Sometimes they come back stronger than when they left us, because something good happened there, something positive for them, good performances, good results.

“Other times injuries, sometimes big injures, other times frustrations because they didn’t play, because the result was bad.

Different chapter

“In this case, we know what didn’t go well. But national team is a different chapter and a chapter that is closed now until I think March or the end of February.”

Mourinho believes Arsene Wenger is afforded "more respect" than he is ahead of Saturday's meeting with Arsenal.

Mourinho has never lost a Premier League game to Wenger, who brings his side to Old Trafford with them in fourth place in the table – six points ahead of sixth-placed United.

The two men have clashed several times in the past, with the Portuguese famously labelling his French counterpart a “specialist in failure” in February 2014.

However, Mourinho appeared to offer an olive branch to Wenger when asked about his relationship with the Arsenal manager.

“The record against any other manager being good or bad is not important for me,” Mourinho said.

“The only thing that matters is what you get as a team, our team’s results, our CV if you want to go in that direction and in the Premier League tomorrow is a match between the two managers with the best record in the Premier League.

"Sir Alex Ferguson is not here anymore and tomorrow between the two managers we are speaking about I think six or seven Premier League titles, I'm not sure. I have three I think and Mr Wenger has three.

“Does that mean we should be respective (sic)even in periods where our results are not the best? I think Mr Wenger has that respect from all of you, I don’t think I have.

“My last Premier League title was 18 months ago not 18 years ago, I don’t get that respect to be honest. I just follow my way because I want to win a ninth championship and I want to win a fourth Premier League.”

Guardian Service