Man Utd’s Manuel Ugarte in doubt to face Brentford after suffering knock vs Ecuador
The nature of his injury remains unclear, but it raises concerns over his availability for Saturday’s clash at Old Trafford.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho revealed in the aftermath of his side’s Carabao Cup win over Swansea City that he expected Phil Jones to be in contention to start their crunch Premier League tie with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
“It was quite comfortable and no injuries,” Mourinho was quoted as saying by the club website after Tuesday night’s win at the Liberty Stadium.
On Saturday, United had slumped to their first Premier League loss of the season at the hands of Huddersfield Town and their outing at the John Smith’s Stadium was made worse when Jones limped off early on.
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“I think (Phil) Jones will be (back) because, today, he was on the bench and he told me he will be ready in case I need him. So I believe he’ll be even better for Saturday,” the manager stated as he added, “Apart from that, I have no news and no hopes (for any other players).”
United fans are to hear an update on midfielder Paul Pogba, who has been training in Florida in a bid to recover from a hamstring injury. The 24-year-old has been out of action since September and it now looks unlikely that he will feature for the Red Devils before mid-November.
Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo are the other Red Devils players said to be nearing full fitness but Mourinho did not give any updates on the defensive duo.
Central midfielder Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini are almost certainly expected to miss out on Saturday as is long-term absentee Zlatan Ibrahimoivc.
After nine games played, Manchester United trail leaders Manchester City by five points in the Premier League but their wobbly form in recent weeks has seen Tottenham Hotspur pull level with them on points.
Jones’ availability will be a major boost for Mourinho as Spurs are flying high after their 4-1 demolition of Liverpool and will travel to Old Trafford seeking a win.
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