Sunday Times

Man United depleted defence calls for reshuffle

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MANCHESTER United manager José Mourinho has joked that the club’s injury blight may force him to pick himself for today’s home game against Swansea City.

Already missing six senior players, United lost Marouane Fellaini to suspension and Timothy Fosu-Mensah to injury during Thursday’s 0-0 draw at Manchester City.

Their problems are particular­ly acute in central defence, with Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo sidelined, moving Mourinho to contemplat­e picking himself and untried 19-year-old Axel Tuanzebe.

“In this moment it’s the only option we have: Axel, Eric [Bailly] and Daley [Blind],” Mourinho said after the draw with City .

“I think Eric and Daley played absolutely amazing again. I have to speak with them and see how they are and how they feel.

“I’m also training hard in the gym so I can be an option also. Mourinho and Tuanzebe against Swansea.”

The draw at City, in which Fellaini was red-carded for headbuttin­g Sergio Agüero, left United a point below their local rivals, who occupy fourth spot.

World-record signing Paul Pogba was absent due to muscle fatigue and Mourinho said he would not return until the first leg of United’s Europa League semifinal away to Celta Vigo next Thursday.

Mourinho has previously ruled out playing Wayne Rooney in midfield, but with Fellaini now banned and Juan Mata also on the treatment tables, he said he may have to reverse his decision.

“Yeah, it’s an option. We don’t have [other options],” he said. “We have [Ander] Herrera and [Michael] Carrick and nothing else. And Timo Men- INJURIES OF FATIGUE: Manchester United manager José Mourinho working with a skeleton backline sah, emergency like [against City] to help the team, strong legs, energy, but it’s another one that we miss.”

United have allowed two central midfielder­s to leave the club this year, with Morgan Schneiderl­in joining Everton and Bastian Schweinste­iger moving to Chicago Fire.

But Mourinho said United’s predicamen­t had more to do with bad luck than an errant transfer strategy, citing the knee ligament injuries sustained by Rojo and Zlatan Ibrahimovi­c in the same match.

“To have lots of players not playing is also something the players don’t want,” he said. “We didn’t tell Morgan, ‘We want to sell you’, Morgan asked us, ‘Please sell me. I want to go, I want to play every game’.

“In my career, I had one cruciate [injury] in 17 years. And against Anderlecht, I have two in one match.

“The other small injuries, Pogba and Tony [Antonio] Valencia last week, are injuries of fatigue, the accumulati­on of matches, which is normal. Smalling and Jones was in the English national team training.

“So maybe it’s a blessing. Maybe it’s an opportunit­y to make the team stronger, make them become mentally stronger. I think the first one to be back is Mata, which gives us another option in attack. But in reality, what we need now is one of the two central defenders [Smalling and Jones] to be back.” — AFP

So maybe it’s a blessing. Maybe it’s an opportunit­y to make the team stronger, make them become mentally stronger

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