Saturday 30 September 2017 19:39, UK
Jose Mourinho says the international break has come at a "bad" time for Manchester United after they cruised to a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.
United eased to victory at Old Trafford thanks to two goals from Marouane Fellaini sandwiched between strikes from Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku.
The win was their sixth from seven Premier League matches, but after the upcoming international break they face a tricky run of four successive away games, starting with Liverpool on October 14, live on Sky Sports.
"I don't welcome the break, it's bad," said Mourinho, whose side drew at Stoke after the last international break in August.
"We had the first break and two days after the players came back we had to play another game. It's not a good situation for us but moaning doesn't help. We have to wait for them and hope there are not many problems."
Even though United won comfortably on Saturday, Mourinho was not entirely satisfied by the performance against a Palace side without a goal or a point to their name this season.
"I told the players that we had to respect an opponent in a difficult situation, an opponent better than their results show," he said. "It was important to respect them and play seriously.
"The result is probably bigger than our performance because I don't think our performance was consistent. We had good periods, good moments, and we always had control of the game, but we can do better. The important thing is the three points."
Mourinho also had some words of praise for man-of-the-match Fellaini, who was cheered as he made his way off the pitch, less than a year after being booed by some of his own fans.
"He played really well, but he has been doing it for a long time," said Mourinho. "He is confident. He is happy with his contribution to the team. The style of the team has space for a player like him and he feels that. I am really happy."
