Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has picked the wrong fight by calling out a section of fans who booed during the clubs’ 1-0 victory over Spurs last weekend.

The Portuguese wrote in his programme notes ahead of the fixture against Benfica on Tuesday: “I hope that you enjoy the game more than some of you did against Tottenham,” clearly a sly dig at supporters who were unhappy to see Rashford substituted instead of Lukaku during the game.

But Sky Sports pundit Matt Le Tissier believes Mourinho was wrong to do so, and that he is picking the wrong fight. But the former Southampton legend did admit that perhaps the manager’s defensive minded approach comes due to the absence of injured midfielder Paul Pogba.

Le Tissier said on The Debate Live: “They started off the season playing really well, hitting four goals on a regular basis. That was when Pogba was in the team, and perhaps he’s a bigger miss than people realise.

“Because of that – and I think Jose realises it – he’s changed the way his team are playing and has become far more pragmatic. He’s just trying to get wins, trying to keep himself in it until Pogba comes back.

Asked if Mourinho was right to be be a little angry about fans complaining, Le Tissier said: “No. I think he’s wrong to try and take on the United fans. To have a dig in the programme, I think it’s a battle you can’t win.

“There’s 75,000 of them in the ground, there’s one of you! You might have some programme notes to say them in, but you’ve got to be careful where you pick your fights. And I think he’s picked the wrong one there.

“For me, I think you can’t go and fight that battle. I think he’d be better off being honest with people, saying he’s missing his best man, and to say that with this team and Pogba out, this is the best way to get results, and when Pogba comes back we can open up and be more expansive. I just think he’s gone about it the wrong way.”