ROJO BLOW
Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo suffered a nasty looking knee injury midway through the first half in United’s second leg victory over Anderlecht. Mourinho will be sweating as it leaves him with just one natural centre-back available. Rojo joined Chris Smalling and Phil Jones on the treatment table. The Argentine tried to play on despite the injury but another collision minutes later left him needing a stretcher to leave the playing field.
CLAUSING THE DEAL
Manchester United are considering a move for Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic. The Guardian claim that United are willing to trigger Brozovic’s release clause of £43m in his contract. Brozovic has emerged as an important player for Inter Milan since making moving from Dinamo Zagreb. Moreover, Brozovic’s relationship with the Inter faithful has strained overtime. The player himself is said to be looking for a move to a bigger club.
IBRAHIMOVIC UPDATE
Zlatan Ibrahimovic hobbled off with a horrible looking injury after the 90-minute mark in last night’s victory over Anderlecht. The talismanic Swede’s knee bent the wrong way and it triggered fears that his season was over. But speaking to reporters after the match, Luke Shaw claimed that Ibrahimovic was fine and was even walking around in the dressing room. Mourinho’s comments in his post-match presser did little to lift the mood regarding the injuries. Mourinho said: “I want to wait but my feeling for both is not good. I want to wait and be optimistic for both but I am not.”
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Manchester United’s David de Gea was named to the PFA Team of the Year for the fourth time. This is his third consecutive selection to the dream Premier League XI and the fourth time in five years. The Spaniard did enough to keep out the likes of Thibaut Courtois and Hugo Lloris. However, Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed out on a place in this team despite getting nominated for the Player of the Year gong.
LUKE WHO’S BACK
Jose Mourinho has suggested that Luke Shaw has finally gained his trust after insisting on playing on in extra-time during United’s win over Anderlecht. It was the first time the young left back has completed a full game since January 29. Mourinho said: “Luke Shaw today did something for me new, with him, but it means a lot for me. After 90 minutes, before I know that I have to change Zlatan, he was with cramp. I had Ashley Young ready to come and he told me: ‘I’m going to play these 30 minutes with cramps, no problem, if you have to make a change in another position, do it because I’m ready for it. These kind of things are the things that make me trust the players.”
TRAGEDY IN CALABAR
Around 30 fans watching the Manchester United-Anderlecht tie were electrocuted to death. As is common in Nigeria, fans gathered to watch the action unfold. But a high tension cable fell into the viewing center causing an explosion that killed 30 and injured many.