Following sprint results being published in The Verdict on Monday morning to show that Manchester United’s were the lowest in the Premier League this weekend, Jose Mourinho was pressed on the evidence at his press conference.
The Daily Mail posited: ‘The stats on the sprints and runs were lower than any other Premier league team…’
Mourinho replied: ‘The stats are the stats. The stats are the stats. But, one thing is the stats and another thing is the man, the man himself…’
The United boss is under mounting pressure following elimination by Derby in the Carabao Cup and subsequent 3-1 defeat by West Ham on Saturday.
And the stats indicate a lack of effort from Mourinho's players in comparison with the rest of the top flight at the weekend.
United completed a total of 59 sprints against Manuel Pellegrini's side with a player having to exceed 15.7mph for the run to count.
In stark contrast, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side ran their socks off in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea, completing 154 sprints, a remarkable 29 more than Huddersfield in second place and 95 more than United.
The findings also support Mourinho's belief that some players are not giving everything to the cause.
He said: 'I think some care more than others. After 20 years of football, I am still the kid that I was 20 years ago and I am still naïve, but I still don't believe that a player is not honest.
'If somebody tells them "I was a football player and I didn't give my best" then I change my opinion. Until somebody who was a big professional player says he was a dishonest player, I will always believe the players. They do it, they don't do it that's a different story, but I repeat I am naive or I still believe the player is an honest man.'
