United schedule ‘not human’: Mourinho
Jose Mourinho described Manchester United’s jammed-packed schedule as “not human” after a growing injury list threatened to wreck hopes of a place in next season’s Champions League. A 1-1 draw with Swansea on Sunday was a sixth stalemate in eight games at Old Trafford and harmed hopes of finishing in the top four.
To make matters worse for United, Luke Shaw and Eric Bailly also suffered game-ending injuries, leaving Mourinho with a major personnel crisis ahead of Thursday’s Europa League first leg semi-final visit to Celta Vigo.
The pair joined fellow defenders Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, who have been out since late-march, on the injury list and their absence means United will travel to Spain without a recognised centre-back. “I don’t know about the injuries,” said gloomy United manager Mourinho. “I think Luke Shaw’s must be a big injury, because to leave the pitch after 10 minutes I am expecting a very big injury,” he said.
Sunday’s draw saw United set a new club record of 25 consecu tive games without defeat in the same top-flight season. But it was also the team’s 57th game of an exhausting campaign. In compar ison, Swansea have played 19 games fewer -- exactly half an entire league season. “We did not look tired and exhausted, we are tired and exhausted,” he insisted “You cannot isolate the perform ance out of the context. This is the ninth match of April, it is not human. We have a squad of 22 that is reduced to 13 or 14 players The players are very tired.”