Man Utd stalwart Antonio Valencia has confirmed that he has been dropped by Jose Mourinho as opposed to not being fit enough to feature.
As noted by The Telegraph, the 33-year-old was forced to apologise last month after being caught out liking an Instagram post calling for Mourinho to go.
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That ultimately coincided with him being dropped from the line-up as his last appearance for United came against Valencia in the Champions League on October 2, while he had previously also been captain.
The Ecuadorian international featured for his country this week having recovered from a knee injury, but he has revealed that the decision to drop him at United has been down to a tactical Mourinho move rather than any concerns over his fitness or injury.
“Right now I haven’t been playing, but it’s more of a tactical decision,” he told Area Deportiva. ‘The player who has been in my place (Young) has been playing well. You have to respect the decision.
‘The only thing I can do is prepare and be ready for when he (Mourinho) needs me and be in the right condition to compete. I’m calm right now and I know I’ll get an opportunity to play again. The relationship with Mourinho has always been a good one.”
That would suggest that there is no issue between Valencia and Mourinho, and he merely has to hope that Young gives him an opportunity to get back into the side in the coming weeks while also pushing to impress in training himself.
Nevertheless, given his fellow stalwart’s consistency and the fact that Mourinho has regularly trusted him ahead of other defensive options, it remains to be seen if Valencia’s frustrating spell on the fringes continues as he clearly has no concerns over his fitness or injury and has insisted that isn’t why he was dropped.
