'McTominay's only the best player at Man Utd' - Mourinho fires back at claims he doesn't develop youth players

The Portuguese tactician dismissed criticism of his record with youth players, citing the Scottish midfielder as an example

Jose Mourinho has cited Scott McTominay's rise at , as well as Raphael Varane's standing as one of the top players in the world as he defended his record of bringing through young players.

McTominay has become a regular at Old Trafford under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this season and earned rave reviews for his showings in the victories over Mourinho's and over the past week.

The 23-year-old made his Red Devils debut in 2017 under Mourinho while the Portuguese coach was in charge of the club, with the international receiving the Manager's Player of the Season award from his boss at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

Speaking ahead of Spurs' fixture against at Allianz Arena on Wednesday, Mourinho took offence when his record of bringing through youth players at various clubs was questioned by a journalist.

The former and coach cited McTominay and Varane as he sarcastically stated that the criticism of him has been fair.

The journalist asked Mourinho: "There has been some criticism of your handling of young players and academies in the past, maybe at Chelsea and United. Do you think that's been fair criticism? And are you determined to prove at Tottenham that it was unfair."

To which the 56-year-old responded: "Yes, it's very important [to bring through youth], Scott McTominay is only the best player at Manchester United.

"Raphael Varane is one of the best players in the world, yes, it's fair criticism."

Spurs have won four of their five matches in all competitions since dismissing Pochettino and appointing Mourinho on a four-year contract.

The north London club started their era under Mourinho with a 3-2 win over rivals West Ham before recovering from two goals down to defeat Olympiacos 4-2 in the Champions League.

Another 3-2 win in the league followed against Bournemouth before they suffered their first reverse under the former Chelsea boss in a 2-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Spurs did, however, bounce back in the Premier League on Saturday with a stunning 5-0 win over , as Harry Kane struck twice and Son Heung-min scored a goal-of-the-season contender.