JOSE MOURINHO IS far from pleased with the English FA’s medical team after their handling of Phil Jones.
The Manchester United boss claims that the defender was given six injections on matchday before lasting just 25 minutes for England against Germany before being forced off with a thigh injury.
The Portuguese, who says he has not spoken to England boss Gareth Southgate on the matter, claims he’s never seen anything of the sort in his career.
“I have been a manager since 2000 and in 17 years I don’t have one single player that had injections of anaesthetic to play a friendly. Never. Never,” he told a press conference.
“I am not an angel and I had players be injected to play official matches, crucial matches but a friendly — to get six local anaesthetic injections to play a friendly, I’ve never heard of that.
“But Phil Jones had it and had it before the match and after 25 minutes he was out and he is out [against Newcastle].
“I am just telling a fact. He was injected in the afternoon of the match, he didn’t feel good during the warm up. Between the warm up and the start of the match he had five more local injections to play the friendly.”
While the club will have to do without the services of Jones, Mourinho will be able to rely on several players who are returning from injury.
The former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss confirmed on Friday that Marcos Rojo, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were all available for Saturday’s matchday squad, though Mourinho made it clear that Ibrahimovic wouldn’t be in the starting side.
“As a start, I see him on the bench and it’s where I see him,” he said. “It’s where he’s going to be tomorrow [Saturday], on the bench.”
He also hinted a potentially new role for the Swede, who said he fancies himself as a No.10, when he returns to action.
“[Ibrahimovic] can play everywhere and, this season, we’ve played with two strikers many times,” he said before going on to suggest the veteran could be playing in combination with Romelu Lukaku. “We’ve played [with two strikers] so many times, especially when we play with three at the back, with wing-backs, it allows us to bring in a second striker.
“We are ready to do it. We’ve been preparing ourselves since pre-season – when we started playing three at the back – so they can play together, no problem.
“I’m excited because I have more options. I’m excited because the team can be better. I’m excited because I want to have the best players available.
“But, you know, I don’t want to make a situation of Zlatan and Romelu because I can play Zlatan and Romelu, just Zlatan, just Romelu or it can be no-one. I always want options and now I have more options in attack.”
The Old Trafford outfit sit second in the table, eight points back of Manchester rivals City, and take on a Newcastle side that have picked up just one win in their last six.
They have some neck.
@Patrick Breen: Could still go to the DRA after this and maybe even a court case, who knows?
@Patrick Breen: they’re dead right. Why not just replay the last free again, the idea they have to replay the whole game is a fair solution is madness.
@Paul Mallon: the fact that they blatantly cheated and think they should get away with it is madness.
@Paul Mallon: replay the last free, seriously. So we’ll just make up a new sport..
@Patrick Breen: the more I think about this I’ve changed my mind from it’s 100% a replay to it only warrants a fine! Realistically the chances of a goal with the last kick of the game is unlikely, especially when it’s a 45 with the packed defence fully set up. And it’s telling that the referee allowed the 45 to be taken before the substitutions had been complete properly – Kilmacud will argue that as the subs were not being managed correctly! Players off players on before 45 can take place – clearly ref was going to allow it be taken quickly which added to the panic & confusion. In my view KMc won this game and an extra man on for 24secs over 70+ mins had NO bearing on the outcome. If this was reversed I don’t general public wud be questioning if Glen won it
@BMJF: It’s not really about the likelihood of a goal. Nobody knows what effect the 16th player had, direct or indirect, even as a distraction to the player in possession. The real issue is what happens if there’s no real sanction. Teams will be making substitutions and making sure the player being replaced is at least very slow leaving the pitch. Now we see Glen have pulled out of the appeals process because a replay is unworkable.
@BMJF: especially when it’s an overpacked defence.
@Thomas O’ Donnell: don’t be silly. The GAA will simply learn to make substitutions like every other sporting organisation!! That’s what will happen. Play will pause before a free is taken etc and Players will have to come off before the replacements go on and ref won’t restart the game until they’re in position. It’s not rocket science. GAA should have accepted some responsibility, read their rules and issued a hefty fine the next morning and that would have been the end of it
I’d watch a live stream of that hearing
Hope they throw the book at them and just award the final to the other team.
@Reggie: haha, don’t know about that now Reg. Certainly interested to hear what their grounds for appeal will be though…..seems cut and dried to me that the rule was broken and one of the consequences have been invoked.
The tone of the anti Kilmacud comments is telling. An anti Dub vibe off them. I’m guessing that If this was reversed and Glen had 16 men for 24secs over a 70+ min game, defending a 2point lead with last play of the game, the general public wud be saying that on balance Glen should remain the winners, and that the extra man for 24 secs didn’t really impact the outcome! But because it’s a big Dub club everyone has knickers in a knot!!
If GAA had issued a fine quickly I think Glen would have accepted the result , as their manager did straight after the game
@BMJF: I would say the opposite, the Ulster team (as always) are being portrayed as the bad guys here… maybe I’m wrong
Kilmacud won fair and square on the field of play. Glen will be looked upon as sore losers. There’s no way Kilmacud will replay the match. They are prepared to hand the cup over to Glen. If the Glen club wants to avoid the lasting legacy of poor losers they really should withdraw the objection and gear themselves up to trying to win the title next year on the field of play. That would give the club a lot of respect.
@Brendan Daniel Naughton: ‘fair and square’, hahahaha, are you well.
Great stuff