Wolves goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann has backed his manager Mick McCarthy following the selection drama against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Hahnemann was the only player kept in the starting line-up from the 11 players that defeated Tottenham 1-0 at White Hart Lane on the weekend as McCarthy preferred to rest his 'better' players ahead of a potentially season-defining clash with Burnley on Sunday.
McCarthy has come under fire for his selection decision but Hahnemann has supported his boss, saying: "Mick put out a team out with six internationals in it.
"Are the Premier League saying Michael Mancienne of Chelsea is not good enough?
"I certainly wouldn't want to say that to him. Kevin Foley was Wolves' player of the season last season.
"Matt Hill has played nearly 400 competitve games. Stefan Maierhofer has played upfront for Austria and Roland Zubar is a great talent from France.
"It's disrespectful to suggest the guys who played weren't up to it. What do the Premier League do about the fact we've got five games in two weeks?"
The former US international admitted a lot of the players in the squad were exhausted after a taxing win over Tottenham and said the upcoming clash with Burnley was more important for their season than playing against Man United.
"It was a really tough game at Tottenham and the guys gave it everything they had," he added.
"We scored early on and that put us under more pressure to hold on. The players were super exhausted and we had injuries.
"You know a team like Manchester United are going to make you run like crazy and we've got a huge game coming up against Burnley which is much more important so the decision was made."