TEAM NEWS : MANCHESTER UNITED V FC BASEL
Jose Mourinho cannot confirm if Marouane Fellaini will be fit enough to play against FC Basel, after the Manchester United midfielder missed the trip to Stoke City with a calf injury.
The Belgian picked up a problem while he was representing his country during the recent international break, and the manager admits he feels “weaker” without that option in the squad.
Speaking at a press conference to preview Tuesday's UEFA Champions League match at Old Trafford, Mourinho told reporters: “Fellaini didn't train yesterday so let's see if he can today. He's a very important player for me, much more important than you can imagine. I feel weaker without Fellaini in my squad, it doesn't matter if it's on the pitch or if it's on the bench. So if his condition improves then he will be selected, because I need him but at the moment. But I cannot say yet.”
Asked if Fellaini's injury is a recurrence of an old calf issue, Jose said: “Yes, he had a problem with his national team and then he played a match against Greece, and after the match he felt the problem.”
Mourinho also stated David De Gea will start against the Swiss side at Old Trafford, despite Sergio Romero being his regular goalkeeper throughout last season’s successful Europa League campaign.
“I do what I think is the best for the team,” the boss said. “I don’t like that clear separation of ‘I play in this competition and you play in this competition’. And I think in this moment, David is playing very well and is very confident. I will go with David tomorrow again.”
Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof will both start at centre-back against Basel, with recent Premier League starters Phil Jones and Eric Bailly both serving suspensions in Europe. In his MUTV interview at the Aon Training Complex, the boss revealed he had always planned to select the pair.
“They are all at the same level so it is no problem at all,” Jose told us. “Even if Jones and Bailly were not suspended, I would probably play Smalling and Lindelof. For Lindelof, I think the competition is easier to adapt to because he is used to playing in the Champions League.
“Portuguese football is more comparable to the Champions League than the Premier League. I think with him, it will be a choice for me to play him in this match. Smalling is working well so why not use his experience. I trust them. I am not worried at all that Bailly and Jones are out.”
Expanding on Lindelof and his adaptation to United, Mourinho admitted the Swedish summer signing should be encouraged by Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s learning period last season, as well as a legendary Portuguese defender who shone during the manager’s first spell at Chelsea.
“Victor is an intelligent kid, he is very calm and of course he wants to play,” Jose said. “You know, we take it step by step. [At Chelsea] we had one of the best central defenders in the Premier League’s last decade, Ricardo Carvalho, and when he arrived from Portugal he was in trouble a little bit to adapt.
“Then he had an amazing career in the Premier League after that and I am sure Victor will be the same. So it is good for him to play in the Champions League and probably he won’t play at the weekend, but he will play again next week in the [Carabao] Cup so matches are coming for him.”
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