'I'll never sell Rooney' - Jose Mourinho

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has said that he will never sell club captain Wayne Rooney or force him to leave the club, admitting that it has been "hard" to leave him out of first the team. 

Rooney, 30, who had been a regular starter for United in the first five Premier League games of the season, was dropped by Mourinho in recent games and only coming in as a late substitute from the bench.

Mourinho told Sky Sports when asked if he would be open to sell Rooney, he said;

"No, never. I will never make that decision. A player of his stature, a player of his history in the club will never go to point where club or manager want to make that decision for him.

"I put him on the bench for three matches in a row. That is hard for him, hard for me, so that is being ruthless, to put in my mind the interests of the team in front of the player, prestige, status. In this case even legend. To put on the bench a player with the numbers he has, for club and country, is hard.

"But this is an industry where the people lead, sometimes make a correct decision, sometimes a not correct decision, but in our minds make the decisions we think are the best for the team." 

Mourinho also said that he believes that Rooney is a victim of his own success from over the past years having shown what he can do.

"For me, that's a problem," Mourinho added. "I think, in this country it happens to everyone. It is just your nature -- you build people, you kill people, you build again and you destroy again. And I think it is just the nature of the business."

Mourinho said he believes that a constant change in Rooney's position for club and country in recent years, has contributed to his drop in form.

"I think it then created a bit of a doubt in relation to his role, to his position, to his future and I think players especially in moments of less confidence, they need to be clear in his head," he said.

"He cannot be jumping from number six to number nine, or number nine to number 10, or number nine to number six. For me, he is an attacking player.

"Play number six, play in midfield, not with me unless we need it and unless we ask him to do that, but with me, I want the ideas completely clear. He is a second striker, plays behind the striker or as a striker. That's what I think is Wayne Rooney."