Mourinho: Rooney benched against Arsenal because he's too slow

Jose Mourinho has a simple explanation for why Wayne Rooney started Saturday's clash with Arsenal on the bench: He's too slow.

The Manchester United gaffer, speaking after the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, discussed the rationale behind leaving the English icon out of the starting XI, saying that he opted for players who could threaten the Gunners' backline with pace instead; with Zlatan Ibrahimovic suspended, the Portuguese fielded both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.

Related: 3 takeaways from Arsenal's stolen point at United

"I thought we were going to have the ball," Mourinho said, via ESPN FC. "Arsenal are a team who let their opponents play.

"I thought we would have space and the ball would arrive quite easily to the attacking players.

"I believed ones like Mata, Martial, and Rashford were faster than Wayne, better attacking opponents one to one in the last line. I thought it was the best option."

Rooney, who has come under fire this season for his diminishing skills on the pitch - and his recent antics off it - came on as a substitute in the 63rd minute, but failed to make any positive impact on the contest.