Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho blasted by Garth Crooks for 'frightened' team selection: 'And he calls himself the Special One!'

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Former Tottenham player Garth Crooks has lambasted Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho for his 'frightened' team selection on Saturday. 

United sealed a late victory over Spurs in the day's early kick off at Old Trafford to remain five points behind arch rivals and Premier League leaders Manchester City. 

But despite Anthony Martial's second-half winner securing a vital win, Crooks has questioned Mourinho's status as the 'Special One'. 

Jose Mourinho barks instructions at Old Trafford as Antonio Valencia takes a throw-in

Mourinho was vindicated in his decision to introduce Anthony Martial as a late substitute

The BBC pundit, writing in his online Team of the Week, suggested the United boss is afraid to start Martial, Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford in the same starting XI.

Crooks said: 'Why playing Rashford, Martial and Lukaku in a three-man attack at Old Trafford should frighten Mourinho is a mystery to me.

'And he calls himself the "Special One".'

United looked like they were heading for a disappointing draw before Martial, a 70th-minute substitute for Rashford, found a way past Hugo Lloris.

But Crooks was particularly pleased with the performance of Antonio Valencia, with the makeshift right back once again playing a crucial role in a United victory.

Crooks added: 'With Romelu Lukaku slightly off the pace and Rashford with a mandate to score within 70 minutes or he's off, it was left to Valencia to marshal his defence well enough not to give Tottenham a sniff of their goal and that's precisely what he did.'

Garth Crooks has lambasted United manager Mourinho for his 'frightened' team selection

Crooks suggested boss should start Martial alongside Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford