Boss Gives Injury Update Ahead Of Chelsea

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has provided an injury update ahead of Sunday's home game with Chelsea, revealing Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Juan Mata will not play again this month.

The Reds returned to Manchester in the early hours of Good Friday morning after a 1-1 draw at Anderlecht in the Europa League with the focus immediately needing to shift to the visit of the Premier League leaders.

Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney did not make the trip to Belgium but Antonio Valencia returned to action at right-back, while Ander Herrera was an unused substitute, perhaps suggesting he could play a key role against the team he was harshly sent off against in the Emirates FA Cup. David De Gea is available after missing the win at Sunderland but making the bench in Brussels.

However, the news is not so good on Jones, Smalling and Mata with the boss not expecting the trio back any time soon. When asked about a timeframe on the comeback of the two defenders, who were injured while on England duty, he replied: "Mid-May," with Mata's return due in "late May".

Those estimates would suggest Jones and Smalling could be available for the final three league games of the season (against Tottenham, Southampton and Crystal Palace) but Mata is facing a race against time to play again this term after groin surgery.

It leaves Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo as the obvious options at the heart of the defence and Mourinho is concerned with their fatigue.

"There is nothing I can do [about the current defensive situation]," he said. "They [Bailly and Rojo] have to go until the limits. There is no other choice. We don’t have any other central defenders. They have to go. There is no other chance. 

"If we arrived in a situation in the Premier League, I hope not, where mathematically the top four is not possible, then it's an easy decision. Rest them and go with them in the Europa League - if we are still in the competition. 

"But, in this moment, we are in this situation where we have two matches in hand and if we win both matches, we are in the top four. We have to fight for every game, so it's amazing mentality by Eric and by Marcos, but we have to go."

Chelsea are, of course, Mourinho's former club but he is not sentimental about meeting them for a third time this season.

"You say it’s emotional but, for me, it’s a game," he asserted. "It’s one more game. No different for me. Not at all.

"[To compare the two teams] first of all, some guys are fresh, some guys are tired and that's very important. But they are top for some reasons - it's not just because they are fresh. It is also because they have individual quality. It’s because they have collective quality. They have a certain style of play. They stick to it. They do it very well. So they are a very strong team."