Skip to main content

Manchester United Defenders Chris Smalling and Phil Jones Suffer 'Long-term' Injuries

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed defenders Phil Jones and Chris Smalling both picked up "long-term injuries" during the recent international break.Smalling dropped out of the England squad last Friday and returned to his club carrying an unspecified injury, with Middlesbrough's Ben Gibson called into replace him. Prior to that, Smalling had inadvertently injured his club teammate Jones while with the national team, with reports suggesting the former Blackburn Rovers defender had suffered a toe injury in the training ground tackle.

Despite claims suggesting Jones's injury was not as bad as first feared, Mourinho struck a bleak note when providing an update on the two during Friday's press conference.

"They [Smalling and Jones] are long-term injuries," he said ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with West Brom. "The important ones are the ones who are ready to play. That is the way we have to think, we cannot be here crying or speaking about the players who are not available to play.

Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly are United's remaining two first-choice options at centre-half ahead of a packed fixture list that sees the club play nine times in three competitions in April.

United start that run against the Baggies on Saturday and in addition to the loss of Smalling and Jones, Mourinho has a number of additional selection headaches to contend with.

Paul Pogba has been ruled out, having failed to recover from a hamstring problem suffered during the Europa League win over Rostov prior to the international break, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ander Herrera both serving suspensions.

Antonio Valencia and Rojo are both available for selection after far-flung international commitments with Ecuador and Argentina respectively, but after starting and competing in both World Cup qualifiers for their country, the pair could be feeling fatigued, Mourinho admits.

"They [Valencia and Rojo] are not with injuries that stop them to play. Tired? Yes, of course but ready to help us."

Source / credit: ibtimes
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Juventus Manager Allegri Signs Contract Extension Untill 2020

Massimiliano Allegri has signed a new contract with Juventus, keeping him with the Serie A side until 2020, the Turin outfit have confirmed. The 49-year-old will remain at Juventus Stadium for another three seasons, having guided the Old Lady to a third successive domestic double. Allegri helped Juve win the Serie A and Copa Italia titles this season, and guided them to the Champions League final. Since taking over at Juventus Stadium in 2014, he has won the domestic double each season and has a 69 per cent winning rate. The former midfielder had been linked with a move to Arsenal before Arsene Wenger agreed a new two-year deal, but will now remain in Turin until the end of the 2019-20 season. In a statement, Juventus said: "Juventus is pleased to announce that Massimiliano Allegri has signed a contract renewal at the club until 2020. "Today's agreement extends a working relationship that has seen the Bianconeri consolidate their position as Italy's...
Post a Comment
Read more

Roma Midfielder Signs New Deal with Italian Club

Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan has signed a new four-year contract with the Serie A club. The 29-year-old Belgium international had been linked with Manchester United in Italian media, while Chelsea were also reported to be interested. This was coupled by suggestions that Nainggolan was growing impatient with the numerous delays in receiving a contract proposal from the capital club. However, the 29-year-old has put any doubts about his future to bed by extending his contract until 2021, in a deal that will see him earn €4.5 million per season, including bonuses, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I think I have demonstrated that this is what I always wanted," Nainggolan said. "I'm very happy that the club and I can continue our adventure and move forward together." Nainggolan has played 161 times for Roma since joining from Cagliari in 2014. Nainggolan becomes the third senior central midfielder to extend their contract at Roma th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Alexis Sanchez is just what Manchester United Need, Says Fortmer Tottenham Manager

The signing of a proven world-class forward such as Alexis Sanchez is just what Manchester United need to compete for the biggest prizes, former Tottenham manager Gerry Francis has said. Sanchez, 29, joined United on a four-and-a-half-year contract from Arsenal on Monday, 22 January, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan moving in the opposite direction in a straight-swap deal. "Sanchez is a real goal-scorer, he's talented and he's aggressive around the box and he makes things happen, he can pull teams through," he told Sky Sports.Francis described the Chilean forward as a match-winner who will aid United in their quest to win silverware by adding some much-needed potency to their attack. "It's [about] the present, you're looking to win trophies and looking to win competitions and, sometimes, you need to buy and have the finished article and Sanchez is certainly that. "It just makes them as a squad that much stronger. Certainly, a much bigger goal-threat with Sa...
Post a Comment
Read more