Tuesday 7 November 2017 10:36, UK
Jose Mourinho has welcomed the international break and revealed injured Manchester United pair Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are in a "good position".
Pogba and fellow midfielder Michael Carrick have been injured since September, while long-term absentees Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo are yet to return to action.
Mourinho's team head into the international break following a 1-0 defeat to his former side Chelsea which left United eight points behind Premier League leaders and Manchester rivals City but the United boss has delivered a positive update about his absentees.
"We have the group of players which are the ones that we hope will recover as soon as possible," Mourinho told the club's official website.
"They have to work every day but they are in a good position now. Pogba, Ibrahimovic, Rojo, Fellaini.
"They are in good positions so I think we can go into this part of the season, the Christmas period, and after, in a strong position."
United have won seven of their 11 league games and all four of their Champions League games so far this season, while also competing to retain the League Cup title.
A busy December schedule brings nine games to be played across all competitions for Mourinho's men, and the manager is hopeful key players not on international duty for this month's friendlies can capitalise on a well-earned break.
"They [international players] all disappear and then we have a couple... like [Chris] Smalling and [Ander] Herrera and they really deserve, after so many matches, to have a week off which I'm going to give them," Mourinho added.
