Jose Mourinho has explained his decision to leave Ander Herrera out of Manchester United’s squad against Basel.

United marked their Champions League return with a comfortable 3-0 win over the Swiss side on Tuesday, with Herrera dropping out of the squad completely.

The Spaniard started in the 2-2 draw with Stoke, but was not even on the bench as Marouane Fellaini, Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford scored.

Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic started in midfield for United, Fellaini came on for the injured Pogba in the first half, and Michael Carrick was an unused substitute.

Herrera, who so impressed for United under Mourinho last season, was not injured or suspended.

“No reasons to be out,” Mourinho said of the midfielder.

“We are playing only with two midfield players, with Matic and Pogba, who are playing really well and without reason to change.

“The only match we decided to play with three he played, today we went back to two again and I had on the bench Carrick and Fellaini, who were also important players last season.

“We have a group of players who must be ready to play and not to play. Ashley Young was not on the bench in the last match and today he started the match and played 90 minutes and the next match you can have another surprise of some player 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.”

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