Martial ready for Sevilla clash, says Mourinho
Anthony Martial is fit and available for Manchester United’s Champions League round of 16, second-leg game against Sevilla, says manager Jose Mourinho.
The French forward missed last week’s Premier League victories over Crystal Palace and Liverpool but trained on Monday ahead of the visit of the Spanish club on Tuesday.
Midfielder Paul Pogba remains a doubt as United try to capitalise on the 0-0 draw in the first leg in Spain. “I don’t know if he is fit, but he trained after you left,” Mourinho told a news conference after a training session that was open to the media. “Martial is fit, yes.” Zlatan Ibrahimovic also trained with the squad, although Mourinho did not offer any clues as to whether the Swedish striker might be involved against Sevilla. He has not played since December 26.
United go into the game full of confidence after Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool cemented their place in second spot in the Premier League to make their qualification for 2019’s Champions League via a top-four finish highly likely. That is a marked contrast to last season when they finished sixth and had to win the Europa League to earn a place in Europe’s elite club competition.
Asked if United had the potential to go all the way this season, Mourinho was cautious.
“Not yet. But when a team reaches the last eight anything is possible. Now I have only one name and that is Sevilla. I know it is very difficult to go through.
“If we go through to the quarterfinal draw, doesn’t matter the opponent. It will always be one of the big names in European football, but we will try.”
Midfielder Michael Carrick sat alongside Mourinho in the news conference and the former England international confirmed he would end his playing career at the end of the season.
The 36-year-old has made only three appearances since experiencing an irregular heart rhythm in September.
“There comes a time when, as much as you like or don’t like it, your body tells you it’s time to stop playing. It’s something you have to accept,” Carrick said. Former Springbok utility back Johan Goosen is officially out of retirement.
Goosen‚ 25‚ retired suddenly at the end of 2016 in anger at not being released from his contract at French club Racing 92 so that he could join Montpellier.
He supposedly took up a position of “commercial director” at a South African-based company unrelated to rugby‚ which was a loophole in French law that allowed him to be unshackled from his contract.
But on Monday the Cheetahs confirmed that the Bloemfontein-based Goosen would be training with their PRO 14 squad until the end of June, when he would join Montpellier.
A Cheetahs statement said Goosen had “chosen to train with the Cheetahs to find his feet and get his game back on track” before joining Montpellier.
“Goosen will be training with the Cheetahs until the end of June and can be selected for the team if he is on form.
“It is a big compliment for Free State Rugby that he has chosen to train here and for the trust he has in the coaches and conditioning team.”
In January 2017, it was reported in France that Racing president Jacky Lorenzetti wanted a €1m transfer fee but no club was willing to pay it.
After Goosen engineered a way out of the contract, Racing warned that he might face criminal charges for his conduct.
“The open-ended employment contract produced by Johan Goosen and signed by one of his friends and business associates appears to constitute a phoney document‚” it said.
“Full light must be shed on the responsibility of the various people who advised Johan Goosen in taking this aberrant and fraudulent strategy,” the club said in a statement.
Lions skipper Warren Whiteley could miss the next four rounds of Super Rugby because of a knee injury, his franchise said on Monday.
The 30-year-old No 8 hurt his knee last Saturday playing for the Lions against the Blues and was forced to come off 19 minutes into the match.
“Warren sustained a grade two PCL [posterior cruciate ligament] injury and faces around four weeks on the sidelines,” a Lions official said.
Whiteley recently resumed playing after spending half of 2017 sidelined by a groin injury sustained during a home Test series against France. If he is ruled out for a month, Whiteley will miss home matches against the Sunwolves, Crusaders and Stormers and an away fixture against the Jaguares. /TimesLIVE, additional reporting by AFP
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