Jose Mourinho defends decision to criticise Manchester United players in public

Shaw (R) is one of many United players to face Mourinho's public wrath Credit: PA

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has stressed he does not care if criticising his players is a gamble, seeing it as "common sense" if they are not giving him 100 per cent.

A number of members of the United squad have been the subject of public criticism from Mourinho this season, with Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial two recent examples.

When asked if his approach was a calculated risk, Mourinho told Sky Sports on Tuesday: "I don't care. I don't even think about it.

"I just try to be who I am. I just try to be honest and direct, and I don't think about the consequences.

"You give me everything you have, I thank you for that. You don't give me everything you have, I ask you for more. That is just common sense."

Someone who has received praise of late from Mourinho is 19-year-old forward Marcus Rashford, scorer of three goals in United's last five games.

And Mourinho added ahead of Thursday's Premier League derby showdown with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium: "When you give everything you have, I cannot demand more from you, and Marcus, even not performing especially well, was giving absolutely everything.