Play while injured: Jose Mourinho questions Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling – but was he right to?

The Manchester United manager delivered his latest barbs in the wake of the 3-1 win over Swansea on Sunday, appearing to question Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling’s mentality.

[MATCH REPORT: Ibrahimovic double and Pogba wonder goal get United back on track]

Prior to kick-off at the Liberty Stadium, the 53-year-old told MUTV: "Smalling doesn’t feel that he can play 100% with his pain, Luke Shaw told me this morning that he was not in the condition to play, so we had to build a defensive line."

However, after a Paul Pogba wonder strike and Zlatan Ibrahimovic brace had secured victory, Mourinho expressed his frustrations that certain players could not play through the pain barrier.

"In every sport – and I know because I have friends and they play at the highest level in other sports – how many times you play and you are not 100%," he said. "I have a friend that is a big tennis player, he tells me he remembers more the times he played with pain than the times he played without any pain. To compete you have to go to the limits. It’s a cultural thing for some and that’s not my culture.

"There is a difference between the brave, who want to be there at any cost, and the ones for whom a little pain can make a difference. If I were to speak with the many great football people of this team, they will say many times they played without being 100%. For the team you have to do anything, that is my way of seeing [things].

"Of course, it is not just the players, it is the players and the people that surround the players. Yes, it takes time [to change] but with the help of people like Phil Jones, who was playing without having even trained, Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney, with these people it will not be an impossible mission but a possible mission."

Mourinho was in the stands in south Wales after accepting two Football Association misconduct charges, although he later insisted it was "not a problem".

United climbed into the top six with victory, although they are still eight points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Alan Shearer (Match of the Day): "In my experience, very rarely are you ever 100 per cent fit when you go out onto the pitch to play. 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.

"He is becoming more and more vocal in digging out his players in public, which was very rare during that time at Chelsea. Yes, the game has moved on. Players are paid a hell of a lot more money and don’t have to put themselves under pressure and stress to go out and play."

It’s needless to air this in public. You’ve just won a match, with starring performances from two major summer recruits. Why launch a thinly-veiled attack now?

All it will do is create doubt in the minds of Shaw, Smalling and any other player struggling with injury. They may not be major problems, but this is not the way to handle it. Mourinho’s reference that he is pals with a big tennis player is irrelevant. So what? Everyone’s body is unique – and some players have to manage themselves more than others.

If United were rolled over, his frustrations would be understandable. But they won and – yet again – all we’re talking about is the manager. These matters are best left for private discussion.