Jose Mourinho reveals Manchester United injury update before City derby and explains Rojo absence
KEY POINTS
- Eric Bailly and Michael Carrick definitely sidelined for top-of-the-table clash, although Nemanja Matic will play.
- Phil Jones, Marouane Fellaini and Zlatan Ibrahimovic could all return, while Marcos Rojo was just rested against CSKA Moscow.
- Mourinho also questioned suggestions that City playmaker David Silva could miss the derby.
Jose Mourinho has offered a latest team news update ahead of Manchester United's crucial derby clash with title rivals Manchester City on Sunday (10 December) after watching his side book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 2-1 win over CSKA Moscow.
The Red Devils secured progress to the knockout stages of Europe's elite club competition for the first time since 2014 at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, with two goals in the space of 66 second-half seconds from Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford cancelling out a controversial opening effort from Vitinho and ensuring that the three-time winners finished top of Group A.
Such a deserved triumph also saw Mourinho's side equal a club record of 40 home matches without a defeat.
Influential centre-back Eric Bailly and captain Michael Carrick both missed that win and will definitely remain sidelined against Pep Guardiola's undefeated City, who currently lead United by eight points at the Premier League summit.
However, Mourinho revealed that Phil Jones and Marouane Fellaini could both return at the weekend, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks very likely to make the squad after a two-game absence caused by the continued rehabilitation of a long-term knee injury.
Midfield enforcer Nemanja Matic also did not feature against CSKA Moscow due to an unspecified muscular complaint, although is set to start against City. Paul Pogba definitely misses out as he begins a three-match domestic suspension handed down following his 74th-minute dismissal against Arsenal for a nasty challenge on Hector Bellerin.
"You want the truth or what do you want?" Mourinho, who could not resist a dig at Arsene Wenger and Guardiola over the fitness of Alexandre Lacazette and David Silva, was quoted as saying at his post-CSKA Moscow press conference by the Manchester Evening News. "You want the truth.
"The truth is Eric Bailly no chance for the weekend, Phil Jones a chance, Fellaini a chance, Zlatan a big chance and Matic is injured but will play for sure. I'm telling the truth, he's injured but will play for sure. Carrick no chance.
"It's the truth, eh? No stories of [Alexandre] Lacazette, David Silva. All the truth."
The Portuguese also allayed fears over any setback suffered by Marcos Rojo before the derby.
The versatile defender, who only returned to action a fortnight ago after seven months out following surgery on a serious cruciate ligament injury, was omitted from the matchday squad entirely on Tuesday having been forced to play the full 90 minutes in successive fixtures due to the absence of Bailly and Jones.
"No, Marcos is really tired," Mourinho told BT Sport before the CSKA Moscow match when asked if Rojo had another injury. "He was seven months out. We thought about not playing [him] in two consecutive matches, but it happened because no Jones and no Bailly.
"We had to play him in two consecutive matches in three days [against] Watford and Arsenal and by our point of view he really needs the rest, so he's not even an option. It's a decision to protect the player."
