Jose Mourinho: Man Utd boss says some of his players 'lack technical quality'
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Mourinho 'not interested' in Scholes criticism
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said some of his players lack "technical quality", after a 0-0 home Champions League draw with Valencia.
United have now gone four games without a win in all competitions.
Mourinho has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks because of those results, and was involved in an apparent training-ground dispute with midfielder Paul Pogba last week.
"The players tried. They raised the level of their efforts," Mourinho said.
"They raised the level of their intensity.
"We tried to play but in some crucial positions in the building up phase, we don't have the technical quality to build from the back."
United have not won at home since 10 August - the opening day of the season. They lost 3-1 to West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday, three days after they went out of the Carabao Cup to Championship side Derby.
Mourinho reacts to Scholes and boos
Former United midfielder Paul Scholes said before Tuesday's game at Old Trafford that he was "surprised" Mourinho was not sacked after Saturday's defeat at London Stadium, as "the performance was that bad".
Scholes, who made 717 appearances for the Red Devils, also told BT Sport that Mourinho's "mouth is out of control" because of the way the Portuguese criticises his players and the club.
He added the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager is "embarrassing" United.
Mourinho said he was "not interested" in Scholes' comments.
"Freedom of speech. Free country. You can say what you want," he added.
Mourinho also responded to the Old Trafford crowd's chants of "attack, attack, attack" during the game, and the boos which came at the final whistle.
"It's freedom of speech, especially for Manchester United fans who I respect 100%," he said.
Mourinho's 'mini wars' this season
29 July: Mourinho v pre-season tour - 'If I was the fans, I wouldn't come'
29 July: Mourinho v Ed Woodward - 'I gave the club a list of five names a few months ago'
10 August: Woodward v Mourinho - Manager's late attempts to sign defenders blocked
28 August: Mourinho v media - 'Respect, respect, respect'
1 September: Mourinho v Anthony Martial - Mourinho willing to let French forward leave
24 September: Paul Pogba v Mourinho part 1- Questions club tactics following 1-1 draw with Wolves
25 September: Mourinho v Pogba part 2 - 'No problems' but 'second captaincy' taken away
26 September: Mourinho v Pogba part 3 - Training-ground incident between pair
'Police refused to give an escort'
Tuesday's game kicked off five minutes late - at 20:05 BST - after the United coach was delayed in traffic on its way to Old Trafford from the Lowry Hotel in Manchester city centre.
"We left the hotel at 6pm hoping that 30 minutes would be enough, which normally it is," said Mourinho.
"This time the police refused to do an escort so we came by ourselves.
"It took 75 minutes from the Lowry Hotel. The referee was nice to allow us to start the game five minutes later. It was not a problem with the club organisation."
Greater Manchester Police said it had stopped providing police escorts at every fixture following a review of "core policing responsibilities", adding they are only deployed if there is a risk to players.
It added clubs had been consulted "over a period of months" to allow "adequate time to plan ahead for their journeys to the stadium".