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Mental strength key for busy Manchester United – Mourinho

Manchester United's hectic schedule means they must stay mentally strong if they are to remain competitive on all fronts, according to Jose Mourinho.

United sit joint-top of the fledgling table after five wins and a draw from their opening six matches, level with Manchester City at the summit.

"When I looked at the fixtures, I only looked to the period of time we have to recover from match to match," he told a media conference.

"It's the only thing that concerns me. It is very important. 

"We played Wednesday night and we arrived [in] Manchester [at] 4am, so [we got] home at 5am, and we have to [play] tomorrow, so [our] mentality is [always] very important."

Some may see Palace as an easy return to domestic action given they have suffered the worst start ever to a Premier League campaign.

However, despite the Eagles failing to gain a point or score a goal, Mourinho does not believe Palace should be written off yet.

"There is a long time to go," he added when asked about Palace's plight. "It is just the beginning.

"He [Roy Hodgson] is an experienced manager with good players, and they have a long time to fight and reach their objectives."