Paul Pogba: Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho dropped the France international
Manchester United laboured their way to a 2-0 win over Huddersfield with Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez getting on the scoresheet.
Many fans were surprised before the game when Paul Pogba, the club's record signing at £89million, was left on the bench.
But Mourinho has insisted that his decision to leave the Frenchman out was NOT because of his dire display in the Red Devils' 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on Wednesday.
And the Manchester United manager insisted his thinking was to give Scott McTominay some game time, with Mourinho describing the development of the youngster as "beautiful".
"I change a few players and the intention was not to punish anyone," Mourinho said.
"Because to punish anyone I also need someone to punish me because we are a team and when we win we win together and we lose together.
"But I made a few changes thinking about the characteristics of this game and I think this kid [McTominay] has a great desire to recover the ball when the team is not in possession, he's a kid that chases the ball, that tries to recover high up the pitch and when he has the ball it is always simple and against opponents like Huddersfield, so close and with so many bodies behind the ball, the simplicity sometimes is genius.
"You don't have space, you have to open spaces by playing simple, so was a decision to play the kid but Paul came on very, very well with a great attitude with the spaces that we had at that time because we were winning 1-0 and Paul could show his talents and his qualities.
"I always try to do what is best for the team in any moment.
Paul Pogba clashes with Mourinho during Tottenham match
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Paul Pogba: Manchester United star came off the bench against Huddersfield
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"I prefer to look at it in the beautiful way of a little kid that arrived here with his mum at nine-years-old for the first training session, 10 or 11 years later the kid is playing in a Manchester United shirt in an important match in the Premier League at home at Old Trafford, so I prefer to look at that perspective.
"Paul is a fantastic player, no doubt for me one of the most talented midfield players in the world but to sit on the bench one day is not the end of the world."
United now sit 13 points behind Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
City dropped points for just the fourth time this season, slumping to a 1-1 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor.