United team news update for Boro trip
Jose Mourinho will sacrifice nothing ahead of Manchester United’s visit to Middlesbrough, despite picking up a number of injuries and suspensions during a busy period of fixtures.
In United’s 2-1 aggregate win over FC Rostov in the Europa League on Thursday, Mourinho saw Paul Pogba limp off with a hamstring injury and Daley Blind substituted with what appeared to be a head injury, as United played an 11th match in seven weeks.
With Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial and Bastian Schweinsteiger all doubtful, Mourinho will also have to manage without Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ander Herrera due to suspension. The boss accepts the taxing schedule has taken its toll, particularly in Pogba's case.
"My teams' injury records are very, very good," said Mourinho. "It’s very difficult for my players to get injuries and obviously Pogba’s injury was due to an accumulation of fatigue.
"He felt something in the first half and, in the second half, he immediately felt like he couldn’t carry on. Even a physical monster like him couldn’t carry on. But, of course, he was one of the players who never had a rest.
"He played every game. Even at Blackburn [in the Emirates FA Cup], he was on the bench and he played half-an-hour. I think the Monday night game with 10 men also paid a price. So Paul is paying the price."
The noon kick-off at the Riverside Stadium won't aid United's cause either but the manager will be putting everything into getting the three points.
"This is Manchester United, I cannot sacrifice anything," said Mourinho.
"We try to go for every game we do, we try to reach our maximum potential.
"[There are] a lot of problems. If you play at 12 o'clock, you need to eat before nine and, if you need to eat before nine, you need to wake up before that. If you play at five o'clock in the afternoon, of course, you can have more sleep, better sleep with more meals before the game and more nutrition. It's difficult to understand and difficult to accept but it has to be [the case]."
United will visit the Riverside with the home side now under the stewardship of Steve Agnew, following Aitor Karanka’s departure on Thursday. The Spaniard, Jose Mourinho’s former assistant manager at Real Madrid, was dismissed with his side sitting in the relegation zone and three points from safety.
Mourinho sympathised with his former colleague and friend, while highlighting the achievements achieved by Karanka at the Teesside club.
"He saved the team," said the boss. "He takes the team to Wembley for the play-off final, then, the next year, he gets direct promotion and now he goes home. I’m sad, but that’s football now and we have to adapt."
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