POGBA INJURY UPDATE
Paul Pogba, captaining United for the first time, limped off the field in the first half after reaching into win the ball in the Champions League fixture against Basel. The Frenchman felt his hamstring and was spotted leaving Old Trafford on crutches. Knowing how delicate hamstring injuries can be, Mourinho ruled out Pogba for the visit of Everton at the weekend and there are fears that the midfielder could miss 3-4 weeks of action. It is a huge blow for United and Pogba who started the season so well.
JONES AND BAILLY WILL RETURN
Jose Mourinho all but confirmed that Phil Jones and Eric Bailly will resume their partnership in the center of defense against Everton after missing out against Basel through suspension. Mourinho revealed that to keep players fresh he will play Jones-Bailly partnership in the League before returning to the Lindelof-Smalling partnership in the League Cup tie against Burton next week. Mourinho also praised Lindelof in his post-match comments.
PLAYSTATION FOOTBALL
Jose Mourinho blasted his side for playing what he termed ‘PlayStation football’ after taking a two-nothing lead against the Swiss Champions. The Portuguese expressed his frustration at United not going for the kill and resorting to tricks and flicks to keep going and criticised his side for not making the right decision. Jose said: “Probably the players felt the game was under control but you have to respect opponents. We lost shape, too many balls in easy positions and the players relaxed too much and I didn’t like it.”
RASHFORD’S DEBUT DELIGHT
Marcus Rashford is the King of Debuts. The teenager has now scored in his senior, Europa League, Champions League, Premier League, League Cup, England Senior and England under-21 debuts. It is a remarkable record and only the FA Cup is missing from the youngster’s cabinet though he scored in his second game in the competition.
HERRERA ABSENCE EXPLAINED
Reigning Player of the Year Ander Herrera was omitted from the 18 man matchday squad for the visit of Basel. When question about this in his post-match comments, Mourinho revealed that it was due to tactical reasons that the Spaniard was left out of the squad. Jose said: “No reasons to be out. We are playing only with two midfield players, with Matic and Pogba, who are playing really well and without reason to change, the only match we decided to play with three he played, today we went back to two again and I had on the bench Carrick and Fellaini, which were also important players last season.”