Jose Mourinho says club would benefit from not playing in the Carabao Cup

Scrapping the League Cup from the calendar could have a positive impact on English clubs playing in Europe, according to Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho who has the competition four times.

United started their defence of the trophy in comfortable fashion by beating Burton Albion 4-1 at home on Wednesday night (20 September), thanks to two goals from Marcus Rashford and one apiece from Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard as Mourinho made nine changes to the team that beat Everton 4-0 four days earlier.

Despite the rotation, the Portuguese manager fielded a side packed with a mixture of talent and experience. Along with the goalscorers, Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Daley Blind and Chris Smalling all started.

Mourinho, however, suggested clubs could benefit from not taking part in the tournament.

"If you ask me 'could English football survive or be even be better without this competition?' Maybe," he told BBC Radio 5 live.

"Maybe we would be fresher for European competition."

However, the United manager insisted his side would take the League Cup seriously as they look to retain the trophy they won last season when a late Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal sealed a 3-2 win in the final at Wembley against Southampton.

The success marked Mourinho's first trophy at the club and was his fourth League Cup triumph, which made him the most most successful manager in the history of the tournament along with the late Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson.

"If the competition is an official competition then it is important for Manchester United and for me as a manager," Mourinho added.

"I want the players to think the same way. We have this competition, we have to respect the sponsors, we have to respect the opponents and a lot of us are trying to do our best.

"If we can win it, we win it. If we don't win it it's because the opponents are better than us."

United travel to Swansea in the fourth round, where they won 4-0 earlier this season in the second game of their Premier League campaign. Swansea, who won the trophy in 2013 as they thumped Bradford 5-0 in the final, won 2-0 away at Reading in the third round thanks to goals from Alfie Mawson and Jordan Ayew.