Jose unsure of Pogba’s availability
Manchester United are uncertain about midfielder Paul Pogba’s availability for Tuesday’s Champions League last 16 clash with Sevilla, manager Jose Mourinho said after the Frenchman missed their 2-1 Premier League win over Liverpool at the weekend. Pogba was ruled out after picking up an injury in the team’s final training session before the match and Mourinho is awaiting information on whether he can shake off the knock in time for the visit of the Spanish side. “I don’t know,” Mourinho told British media when asked about Pogba’s availability for the sec- ond leg of their last 16 match. “The injury? It was contact with a player in the last minute of the training session. If I finished the session one minute before it wouldn’t have happened,” the Portuguese manager added.
United’s record signing Pogba has been criticised for his performances this season and Mourinho benched the 24-year-old for their goalless draw at Sevilla in the first leg last month. Pogba came on as a substitute early in that game after midfielder Ander Herrera pulled up injured. Midfielder Marouane Fellaini returned to action against Liverpool to boost Mourinho’s midfield options against Sevilla. The Belgium international has been out since January after undergoing minor knee surgery.
first match since November but Eric Bailly didn’t look rusty as he kept Premier League’s joint-top scorer Mohamed Salah quiet, and the Egyptian failed to score in a match he started for the first time in eight games.
praise on the Ivorian for his efforts after a long layoff and will hope that Bailly will produce similar performance with crunch matches coming.
criticised Mourinho (right) for being defensive, the Portuguese manager doesn’t seemed to be bothered by such talk about his style. He had said earlier: “I don't want to change the profile of our play. This is the way we want to play. I don't want to be the manager of a team that plays very well, creates chances and doesn't win matches.”
I’M ON RIGHT TRACK, SAYS RASHFORD
Marcus Rashford is confident his development will not suffer from a lack of game time after scoring twice in a 2-1 victory against Liverpool on his return to the Manchester United starting line-up.
Saturday’s match at Old Trafford was Rashford’s first Premier League start since Boxing Day, and just his third in all competitions in 2018, but there was little evidence of rust as secondplaced United put further distance between themselves and t heir bitter rivals.
“In these types of games, when the pres- sure is on you, you just be yourself and I think that’s what seems to happen in these games and the team seems to react well, when maybe we don’t react as well in other games,” said the 20-year-old.
“Right now, I’m probably not learning the most on the pitch,” said the former academy graduate, who hopes to play a key role for England at the World Cup in Russia.
“In training is where I’m doing most of my learning. You have to take it into the game and today it worked. “Personally, taking the confidence from this game into the next games is impor
tant.”