JOSE MOURINHO HAS confirmed Paul Pogba is now a long-term absentee with the hamstring injury he sustained in the Champions League tie with Basel two weeks ago.
The French international suffered a hamstring tear during the first half of the 3-0 win at Old Trafford and Mourinho has this afternoon compared his absence to that of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo.
Mourinho had previously stated he was unsure of the severity of the damage but has now been unable to put a timescale on Pogba’s return to fitness.
“He’s injured. He cannot play tomorrow and it’s not an injury that I can have the hope like I can have with Jones or Antonio Valencia,” Mourinho said ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Crystal Palace.
“With them, I have the hope to see them training and to have a positive answer. For long-term injuries, I don’t speak about them, so Ibra, Pogba, Rojo and these players, I don’t think about them.”
Pogba had made an impressive start to the season, scoring two goals and providing as many assists in four Premier League games to help United sit joint-top alongside City.
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Mourinho listing Pogba along with Ibrahimovic and Rojo, who have been out since suffering knee ligament injuries in April, does appear worrying for United.
Rojo, at least, is in training with the United squad and is making good progress while Mourinho has refused, as in the case of Pogba, to reveal any details about the knee ligament injury Ibrahimovic suffered before signing a new contract with the Manchester club.
Meanwhile, Mourinho, whose side face bottom of the table Crystal Palace on Saturday, has revealed he is more concerned about United’s gruelling schedule than the standard of opposition they face.
Peter Byrne
Peter Byrne
United have made an impressive start to the new campaign, but their 4-1 win at CSKA Moscow in the Champions League in midweek was followed by a draining return flight that saw United land in Manchester in the early morning of Thursday.
“We have to play against everybody home and away and when I look at the fixtures I only look to the period of time we have to recover from match to match,” said Mourinho.
“That’s the only thing that concerns me and makes me think. The opposition is not the problem.
“The mentality is very important because we played Wednesday night and we arrived in Manchester at 4am, so home 5am.
“And we have to play tomorrow so mentality is very important.”
Mourinho has also praised the early-season form of winger Ashley Young, who has emerged as a solid option at left-back for the United manager.
There has been reports during the summer that Young might be allowed to leave Old Trafford, but Mourinho claims the prospect of selling the former England international never entered his mind.
“There were suggestions but not from me. I always thought that he was not to leave, he wants to stay,” he said.
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Mourinho confirms Paul Pogba is a long-term absentee with hamstring injury
JOSE MOURINHO HAS confirmed Paul Pogba is now a long-term absentee with the hamstring injury he sustained in the Champions League tie with Basel two weeks ago.
The French international suffered a hamstring tear during the first half of the 3-0 win at Old Trafford and Mourinho has this afternoon compared his absence to that of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo.
Mourinho had previously stated he was unsure of the severity of the damage but has now been unable to put a timescale on Pogba’s return to fitness.
“He’s injured. He cannot play tomorrow and it’s not an injury that I can have the hope like I can have with Jones or Antonio Valencia,” Mourinho said ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Crystal Palace.
“With them, I have the hope to see them training and to have a positive answer. For long-term injuries, I don’t speak about them, so Ibra, Pogba, Rojo and these players, I don’t think about them.”
Pogba had made an impressive start to the season, scoring two goals and providing as many assists in four Premier League games to help United sit joint-top alongside City.
Mourinho listing Pogba along with Ibrahimovic and Rojo, who have been out since suffering knee ligament injuries in April, does appear worrying for United.
Rojo, at least, is in training with the United squad and is making good progress while Mourinho has refused, as in the case of Pogba, to reveal any details about the knee ligament injury Ibrahimovic suffered before signing a new contract with the Manchester club.
Meanwhile, Mourinho, whose side face bottom of the table Crystal Palace on Saturday, has revealed he is more concerned about United’s gruelling schedule than the standard of opposition they face.
United have made an impressive start to the new campaign, but their 4-1 win at CSKA Moscow in the Champions League in midweek was followed by a draining return flight that saw United land in Manchester in the early morning of Thursday.
“We have to play against everybody home and away and when I look at the fixtures I only look to the period of time we have to recover from match to match,” said Mourinho.
“That’s the only thing that concerns me and makes me think. The opposition is not the problem.
“The mentality is very important because we played Wednesday night and we arrived in Manchester at 4am, so home 5am.
“And we have to play tomorrow so mentality is very important.”
Mourinho has also praised the early-season form of winger Ashley Young, who has emerged as a solid option at left-back for the United manager.
There has been reports during the summer that Young might be allowed to leave Old Trafford, but Mourinho claims the prospect of selling the former England international never entered his mind.
“There were suggestions but not from me. I always thought that he was not to leave, he wants to stay,” he said.
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Hammer Blow Jose Mourinho MUFC Paul Pogba Manchester United