Manchester United have host of injury problems ahead of weekend fixture against Brighton
Jose Mourinho's defence will be without two of his favourites, but he is confident that the alternatives are just as strong
Sponsored by
MANCHESTER UNITED have been dealt another blow ahead of this weekend's fixture against Brighton.
Jose Mourinho has revealed that both Eric Bailly and Phil Jones will be sidelined with injuries, but he has assured fans that he has three other strong defenders to fill their boots.
The international break played havoc with Mourinho's defensive options as Eric Bailly suffered an injury while representing the Ivory Coast.
Phil Jones has been plagued by problems and Mourinho was angry at Gareth Southgate for exacerbating his thigh injury by fielding him for England.
But, as he has said before.... he doesn't cry over his side's injuries.
Instead, the Portuguese boss told MUTV that Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo and Victor Lindelof are his favoured defenders for the fixture at home.
On the bright side, the prodigal sons Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will feature in the fixture but will not be fielded for the entire match.
Mourinho wants to bring them back gently, but is acutely aware that there needs to be an alternative to Romelu Lukaku.
WORLD'S GREATEST The star who is often sidelined still hails his boss as best in the world
Speaking of the Swedish star, he said: "I prefer him on the pitch than off the pitch. On the pitch he's another option for us and he's an option of quality.
"His physicality and his intelligence, the way he moves, the way he plays.
Latest Man United news
"But he needs time. We managed to give him 15/20 minutes in both matches, he needs more of that."
Pogba is due to start the fixture, but Mourinho is planning to tactically introduce him back to full-match fitness.
The club's most expensive player is vital to his side, and Mourinho added: "He cannot go more than 65 to 70 minutes because that's when fatigue normally arrives and, with so many matches consecutively, we need to protect such an important player for us."
The 24-year-old returned with a bang, providing a goal and an assist in United's 4-1 win over Newcastle.
Most read in football
The Manchester United boss will be hoping for more of the same from the French international against Brighton.
But he acknowledged the success that Chris Hughton has achieved this season for his side, who sit in 9th place, and cited the Seagulls as a tough opposition.
Mourinho is likely to rotate his squad following their shock defeat to Basel, with David De Gea set to return alongside Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.