Team news: CSKA Moscow v Manchester United
Michael Carrick, Marouane Fellaini and Phil Jones will all miss Manchester United’s UEFA Champions League match at CSKA Moscow, after the trio joined Paul Pogba on the sidelines.
Jose Mourinho confirmed Carrick and Fellaini will not be available for the Group A game at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday. Then, moments later, he told MUTV that Jones is also missing.
Pogba has not been available since suffering a hamstring injury in the first half of last month's European win over FC Basel at Old Trafford. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo also remain sidelined as they continue their recoveries from long-term injuries, while Antonio Valencia has presumably been rested.
"I won't have Fellaini, I won't have Pogba, we won't have Carrick, so all three midfield players that we lose for this match," the boss told reporters in Russia.
“So there are not many solutions, but we try not to focus on individual battles or in specific areas on the pitch. We try to focus on the globality and we are going to have a team with quality, with balance, to try to win the match.”
"It was only when I saw it on TV that I realised Fellaini was very lucky not to have a serious injury," added the boss. “But I do not expect him to be out for long."
Elsewhere in the press conference, Mourinho reflected on his past meetings with CSKA Moscow and stated his belief that this current CSKA side is the strongest he has met.
"I played against CSKA with Real Madrid, with Inter, with Chelsea and now with Manchester United, so it's something normal in my Champions League career.
"To be honest, I always like to be back because Moscow is a beautiful city. Every time I come it's better and better and better so I have to say that it's a pleasure. Opponents wise, I think it's the best CSKA that I'm going to play against. I think it's the best team that I face with CSKA as an opponent.”
MUTV subscribers can watch live build-up ahead of the CSKA Moscow game on Match Day on Wednesday from 17:45 BST.