Jose Mourinho Appears to Put Blame on Romelu Lukaku for FA Cup Final Benching and Defeat

Manchester United boss José Mourinho has hit out at his striker Romelu Lukaku following his side's 1-0 FA Cup final loss to Chelsea, highlighting that his played claimed he 'wasn't ready' to start the game following recovery from an injury.

Speaking in the wake of the defeat, via Sky Sports, the Portuguese coach was less than impressed with the attitude of his Belgian forward, stating: "When a player (Lukaku) tells you he's not ready to play, when a player tells you that he is not ready to start, then the question is how many minutes do you think you can play.

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"But how can I convince a player that tells that he is not ready to play? It's not a difficult decision. It was an easy decision. I knew the opponent I was going to play against. I knew they have a compact low block with lots of physicality where they try to close everything. I knew without a target man it would be difficult for us."

Lukaku injured his ankle at the end of January during his side's 2-1 victory over Arsenal, and subsequently travelled to Belgium in order to undergo rehabilitation. United arguably missed the formidable force of the 25-year-old against the Blues, who edged their way to a 1-0 win thanks to a first half penalty for Lukaku's fellow countryman Eden Hazard.

Meanwhile, Mourinho is believed to be lining up his former Inter colleague Stefano Rapetti as a potential recruit for the club's backroom staff this summer. The pair worked alongside each other during Mourinho's stint in Milan between 2008 and 2010, and the former Chelsea boss is thought to be eager to bring him in to boost his side's fitness levels next season.