The striker admitted he was tired during Thursday's Europa League game with Anderlecht and his coach opted to protect him by leaving him out on Sunday
Jose Mourinho says tiredness was behind his decision to leave Zlatan Ibrahimovic out of Manchester United's starting XI to face Chelsea on Sunday.
The 35-year-old was on the bench for the Premier League encounter at Old Trafford, as Marcus Rashford led the attack instead alongside Jesse Lingard.
Mourinho, who said this week that Ibrahimovic needs stability at his age, admitted he wanted to protect the Swede.
"[He's] tired, very tired," Mourinho told Sky Sports when asked about his omission.