Jose Mourinho has questioned why Manchester United are being made to play their last game of the season on Sunday, claiming that he is 'fighting a lost cause'.
The Red Devils play host to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on the final day, a little over 72 hours before taking on Ajax in the Europa League final in Stockholm.
Mourinho believes that United should be allowed to instead play on Saturday, with little riding on his side's fixture against Palace, and will not be afraid to turn to the club's academy players to keep his star names fresh.
"We are sixth, Crystal Palace are safe, it doesn't matter," he told reporters. "I think after the moment Crystal Palace beat Hull City [last Sunday] and Hull City is relegated and Swansea is safe – in that moment, our match has to be Saturday. In any country in the world, it would be Saturday.
"Have I asked the FA? I don't lose time. When I know the battle is lost, I don't fight the battle. I am here already seven years and I never saw any detail of trying to care about the English teams involved in European competitions. I never saw that with Chelsea, I never saw that with Manchester United, I never saw that with Manchester City last year.
"It's just a lost battle. It's frustrating for me. I hope you don't kill me when you see my team [against Palace]. I hope the fans at Old Trafford support the team, they forgive some naivety, they forgive some lack of confidence. And I hope that Big Sam [Allardyce] shows he's a good friend and he goes slow.
"He tells to [Wilfried] Zaha to go slow, he leaves [Christian] Benteke at home. I hope he goes soft on us. [Paul] Pogba will come in because he is not training or playing since his dad passed away. I will put two or three of my [senior] boys rotating during the games. I need to give a little stretch to four or five of my [senior] boys and to give some stability to the kids because I do not think the kids by themselves will be in condition to play the game."
Mourinho mentioned youngsters Joel Pereira, Demetri Mitchell, Scott McTominay, Axel Tuanzebe, Matty Willock, Josh Harrop and Zachary Dearnley as potential starters against Palace.
Daniel Lewis
