Mourinho reveals why Rooney was snubbed

Cape Town - Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho revealed his decision to leave Wayne Rooney on the bench in their 1-1 draw against Arsenal was purely tactical.

Saturday's fixture at Old Trafford caused speculation that Rooney was dropped due to his international break antics where he was caught partying after England's World Cup qualifier.

However, Mourinho who backed his captain after the ordeal said that Rooney was used as a substitute due to his plethora of pacey attackers that were better suited against the Gunners, who are one of .

"I thought we were going to have the ball," he told reporters.

"Arsenal are a team who let the opponents play.

"I thought we would have space and the ball would arrive quite easily to the attacking players.

"I believed ones like Mata, Martial and Rashford were faster than Wayne, better attacking opponents one to one in the last line. I thought it was the best option."