Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho explains why he left Ander Herrera out for Basel win

United's player of the year has made just three appearances so far this season

Ander Herrera has only made three appearances for Manchester United this season (Getty)

Jose Mourinho has admitted he left Ander Herrera out of his Manchester United squad for the 3-0 Champions League victory over Basel because he had no room for the midfielder.

Herrera, named the club’s player of the season last year, has made just three appearances since the start of the new campaign with the last coming in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Stoke City.

A hamstring injury to Paul Pogba in the first half of Tuesday’s win over Basel may help Herrera’s chances of appearances down the line, but Mourinho is happy with the options he has in midfield.

“No reasons to be out,” Mourinho said. “We are playing only with two midfield players, with [Nemanja] Matic and Pogba, which are playing really well and without reason to change.

“The only match that we decide to play with three [against Stoke] he played. Today we went back to two again and I had on the bench [Michael] Carrick and [Marouane] Fellaini, which were also important players in the last season.

“We have a group of players and the players must be ready to play and not to play,” he added.

“Ashley Young was not on the bench in the last match and today he started the match and he played for 90 minutes, and the next match you can have another surprise of some player that you think is going to play and is not going to play.

“It's the squad we have, I have to use the players and that's the life in clubs with squads of quality.”