Jose reveals why Alexis missed the trip to Brighton
Jose Mourinho has confirmed Alexis Sanchez missed Manchester United's Premier League match at Brighton due to injury.
The manager made six changes to his starting line-up from last Sunday’s 2-1 win over Arsenal, with Matteo Darmian, Marcos Rojo, Marouane Fellaini, Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford all returning to the side.
When asked about the changes by Sky Sports, Mourinho said: "Alexis and Lukaku have injuries, so they were not an option, but we believe in the players coming in, we believe that they deserve a chance to play. They are fresher than others that have played so many matches during the season. To play against a team that is strong at home, that is intense, we think this is probably the best team."
It remains to be seen if Alexis has a serious injury, or how long the Chile international will be unavailable for. United's next match is against West Ham at the London Stadium next Thursday.
When asked about the changes by Sky Sports, Mourinho said: "Alexis and Lukaku have injuries, so they were not an option, but we believe in the players coming in, we believe that they deserve a chance to play. They are fresher than others that have played so many matches during the season. To play against a team that is strong at home, that is intense, we think this is probably the best team."
It remains to be seen if Alexis has a serious injury, or how long the Chile international will be unavailable for. United's next match is against West Ham at the London Stadium next Thursday.
The latest injury update on Lukaku Video
The latest injury update on Lukaku
The manager began his press conference by answering questions on Romelu Lukaku's fitness...
Mourinho confirmed on Thursday that Romelu Lukaku would miss Friday night’s Premier League clash with Brighton, but he remains hopeful the striker will be fit for the Emirates FA Cup final later this month.
The manager also confirmed that Eric Bailly is fit to face Brighton, but said the Ivorian faces stiff competition for a starting place in defence, given the other centre-back options available.
“Bailly is fine, no injury,” he said. “He is one of our five central defenders. My work is not about preparing players for World Cups. His [Bailly’s] country is not in the World Cup [this summer]. His country is not in the World Cup. But [Phil] Jones, [Chris] Smalling, [Marcos] Rojo, [Victor] Lindelof are all hoping to be there.”
Goalkeeper Sergio Romero has also missed the last six games for the Reds with a knee injury sustained on international duty with Argentina in March.
The manager also confirmed that Eric Bailly is fit to face Brighton, but said the Ivorian faces stiff competition for a starting place in defence, given the other centre-back options available.
“Bailly is fine, no injury,” he said. “He is one of our five central defenders. My work is not about preparing players for World Cups. His [Bailly’s] country is not in the World Cup [this summer]. His country is not in the World Cup. But [Phil] Jones, [Chris] Smalling, [Marcos] Rojo, [Victor] Lindelof are all hoping to be there.”
Goalkeeper Sergio Romero has also missed the last six games for the Reds with a knee injury sustained on international duty with Argentina in March.
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