Former Wolves manager Graham Taylor has jumped to the defence of Mick McCarthy over his shadow selection for the defeat at Manchester United.

After making 10 changes to the team that won at Tottenham 72 hours earlier, McCarthy saw his side slump to a 3-0 defeat.

The move was widely condemned, although Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey has refused to rule out the possibility of McCarthy making mass changes to his side later on in the season.

Taylor told the Daily Express: "What he did was a shock.

"But when he talked about the risks of hamstring injuries and the tiredness of the players after the effort they put in to beat Tottenham, I thought: No Mick, you've no need to say all that, just say 'I'm the manager. I pick the team. I take responsibility'.

"If he thought he had a better chance of getting three points off Burnley by doing it that way, he had no need to say anything else.

"To those who accuse him of giving three points away he could say: 'Hold on a minute, don't a lot of these big clubs play weakened sides when it suits them?'

"If he judged that by doing what he did he will give Wolves the better chance to stay in the Premier League, I am with him."