Manchester United news: Alan Shearer backs Jose Mourinho's criticism of Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling

The Match of the Day pundit suggested that Mourinho can no longer rely on his players to be 'warriors' for the cause

Mourinho watched from the stands at the Liberty Stadium (Getty)

Alan Shearer has backed Jose Mourinho’s criticism of Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling following the pair’s decision to sit out of Manchester United’s 3-1 win at Swansea City on Sunday.

Both players made themselves unavailable for the Premier League clash at the Liberty Stadium due to fitness concerns, thereby forcing Mourinho to field a weakened backline.

Speaking after the win, the United manager suggested that Smalling and Shaw would have to “work to the limits” and change their mind-sets in the future in order to play under him.

Shearer, appearing as a pundit on Match of the Day 2, supported Mourinho’s stance, and argued that Portuguese coach can no longer depend on his players to be “warriors”.

“In my experience, very rarely are you ever 100 per cent fit when you go out onto the pitch to play,” he said.

“Whether you take anti-inflammatories or whatever, very rarely are you 100 per cent.

“When [Mourinho] was at Chelsea the first time he had warriors - [Didier] Drogba, [Frank] Lampard, [John] Terry, [Claude] Makelele, [Petr] Cech, all of these guys you would never question.

“And he is becoming more and more vocal, Mourinho, in digging out his players in public, which was very rare during that time at Chelsea.”

Mourinho, who watched Sunday’s win from the stands while serving a touchline ban, previously criticised Shaw in public following September’s 3-1 defeat at Watford.

The former Chelsea manager chastised Shaw for his failure to close down Nordin Amrabat prior to Juan Camilo Zuniga’s pivotal goal.

Mourinho has shown a tendency to publicly criticise his players in the past, particularly during his spell at Real Madrid and second tenure at Chelsea.

The Portuguese openly challenged Juan Mata, now playing under him at United, to adapt his game and prove himself while managing him at Chelsea.

After his final game in charge of the west London club, a 2-1 defeat at Leicester City last December, Mourinho claimed his players had “betrayed” him and cast doubt on Eden Hazard’s commitment in particular.