Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has suggested that top teams playing in the Carabao Cup could perform better in their European fixtures if the domestic trophy were scrapped.
Speaking to Radio 5 Live after United’s well-engineered 4-1 victory over Burton Albion in the third round of the Carabao Cup, Mourinho said:
If you ask me ‘could English football survive or be even be better without this competition?’ Maybe
Maybe we would be fresher for European competition.
United are the current holders of the Carabao Cup, otherwise known as the League Cup, after beating Southampton 3-2 in the competition’s Wembley final last season.
They started their defence of the trophy well against Championship side Burton Albion, and will now face Swansea City in the fourth round.
Mourinho, despite his feeling towards the usefulness of the cup, says his side are looking to win the competition for a second successive season:
If the competition is an official competition then it is important for Manchester United and for me as a manager
I want the players to think the same way. We have this competition, we have to respect the sponsors, we have to respect the opponents and a lot of us are trying to do our best.
The Red Devils’ fourth round game against Swansea is to take place during the week commencing 23rd October; United will be confident going into the game, having already beaten the Swans 4-0 in the Premier League this season.
