© EuroFootball.com
"The strategist of English champions Jose Mourinho stated that the nearly £31 million striker Andrei Shevchenko, who arrived this summer, is not one of his 'untouchable stars'.
The charismatic coach also insisted that he would never give in to possible pressure from club owner Roman Abramovich to include the Ukrainian in the starting lineup.
"R. Abramovich has enough money to fire me if he doesn't trust my decisions," the Portuguese said bluntly.
"Sheva is not untouchable because of how he plays. I always allow the best players at that moment to play."
The superstar of the Ukrainian national team scored only three goals in 13 matches in the English Premier League this season. He managed to score twice in the Champions League group stage matches.
"Claude Makelele, Michael Essien, and Frank Lampard are untouchable because they play well, not because I love them. The same goes for Michael Ballack, John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Ashley Cole, and Didier Drogba."
Despite A. Shevchenko's problems and great pressure, J. Mourinho supported his striker: "Football is played very differently in Italy and England.
"The best example is Thierry Henry. He is the top scorer in the league for the past few years, but he only scored once in the first 12 matches after moving from Juventus to Turin.
"Shevchenko needs to be given time, and that's what I am doing. It's good that he is not satisfied with his performance. It would be a problem if he were happy."
