Jose Mourinho

Early team news: United v Huddersfield

Friday 02 February 2018 13:42

Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Marouane Fellaini will miss Saturday’s Premier League clash against Huddersfield at Old Trafford, after the midfielder picked up a knee injury in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on Wednesday evening.

In an interview with MUTV at the Aon Training Complex earlier this afternoon, the manager identified Fellaini as the only new injury concern following the Tottenham match, and said he ‘feels sorry” for the Belgian international.

“They [the medical team] are still working on it,” said Mourinho. “It's an injury and I feel sorry for him personally and I feel sorry for the team because he's an important player for us.

“I don’t have news because I don’t want to give you news based on the initial approach,” the boss continued, “but I don’t think the news is very good. He has a problem in his knee – it’s the same knee [as previous injuries] but not the same location. It was internal, now it’s external, so let’s wait probably a couple more days, but of course he is out of the game tomorrow.

“No, it’s not an ACL [anterior cruciate ligament], it’s not a complete rupture of any structure of the knee, so we are not going as far as that. But we need him and the Champions League is arriving, lots of tough matches to play, probably we are going to lose him for a few weeks, but I cannot say – two, three, four, five [weeks] – I cannot say in this moment.”

Who is your Player of the Month?

 Article

Only your votes will decide which of Luke Shaw, Jesse Lingard or Anthony Martial wins the January award...

The news means that Fellaini joins long-term absentees Eric Bailly and Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the sidelines. However, Mourinho had more positive news on the pair, suggesting that they could return later this month.

“They are working on the pitch but not yet with us as a group so they are not very close to a return,” admitted the manager, “but I want to believe that by Champions League time, around the end of the month, I believe they will be back.”

Your guide to United v Huddersfield

 Article

We return to action at Old Trafford on Saturday, when the 60-year anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster will be marked.

Saturday’s match against Huddersfield marks the match closest to the 60th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster, and Mourinho admitted that it was “a day to play well”.

“I think it’s a day to bring happiness to bring joy,” said the Reds manager, “for people to be together enjoying the game and at the same time showing all the respect for the people and their families.”

United were beaten 2-1 when the sides met earlier in the season, in October, at the John Smith’s Stadium.