Mourinho declines invitation to meet supporters' trust over criticism

Jose Mourinho won't meet with a respected group of Manchester United supporters over his recent criticism of the club's fan base.

The Portuguese manager questioned the reception £90-million striker Romelu Lukaku was getting from the stands, saying he was "a bit disappointed" since the Belgian is clearly working hard. He also flagged up the crowd's booing when Marcus Rashford was withdrawn for Anthony Martial during the 1-0 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur on Oct. 28.

He then stoked the flames in his programme notes for Tuesday's Champions League meeting with Benfica - "I hope that you enjoy the game more than some of you did against Tottenham," he wrote - prompting the Manchester United Supporters' Trust to request a meeting with Mourinho for clarification on his comments.

"I cannot meet ... how many millions? I cannot meet a quarter of the planet. I think a quarter of the planet is Manchester United red. I cannot meet them," Mourinho said, as reported by ESPN FC's Rob Dawson.

"The only thing I can do is to do what I do since day one, which is to fight for the club, to give everything I have to give, to try to give everything I can get in terms of support to my players because we are fighting hard, we are working hard and that's the only thing we can do and the only thing we can promise."

The supporters' trust boasts just over 20,000 members, and is a democratic, not-for-profit entity currently chaired by Gerald Shamash and vice-chaired by Stu Parish and Ian Stirling. Therefore, Mourinho would've likely met with a few members of the organisation, rather than "millions."

Mourinho won't be the most popular person at Stamford Bridge on Sunday either. The boss will seek to entertain United's travelling contingent at the home of his former club Chelsea, where he got a rough reception from the locals last season while the Red Devils slumped to a 4-0 humiliation.