Jose Mourinho

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho believes Wayne Rooney's form slump started after criticism for an England display.

Rooney has come under fire for his recent performances after United went on a three-match losing run, which they ended with an EFL Cup win over Northampton Town.

The United and England captain has hit back at critics, but Mourinho believes he saw a change in Rooney after his nation's win over Slovakia.

The Portuguese tactician said the response to Rooney's performance in the 1-0 victory this month may have impacted the forward.

The champions play Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, with the two managers having clashed in the past.

Mourinho called Ranieri "a loser" after replacing him at Chelsea and also insulted him while being the Inter Milan boss.

Ranieri said: "Mourinho is a fantastic manager, intelligent, clever. [The issues] were a long time ago”.

Mourinho replaced Ranieri at Chelsea in 2004 and said the club considered the Italian to be "a loser", before the pair repeatedly fell out while both managing in Serie A.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho believes Paul Pogba is the world's best midfielder, but does not expect the France international to produce fireworks every week. 

While Pogba became the world's most expensive transfer with his move from Juventus to United, he is not expected to score as many goals as the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.