The last thing that Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho wants right now is further injury problems, but it appears as though that’s what he’s got on his hands.
After both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo were ruled out for the rest of the season with serious knee injuries, United showed their resilience and depth to secure a win at Burnley on Sunday.
It keeps them in a strong position to break into the Premier League top four before the end of the season, but numbers are dwindling as they also hope to lift the Europa League trophy.
As per The Daily Mail, Mourinho is reportedly fearful that Paul Pogba will miss the Manchester derby on Thursday night after he hobbled off at Turf Moor late on.
“Dead, he is for sure, if he’s injured or if it’s just the super accumulation of fatigue in the muscles, I don’t know,” Mourinho said after the game.
“But as I was saying, if he cannot play Thursday he cannot play Thursday, we play another one and we don’t cry, like we didn’t today.”
The 24-year-old Frenchman required treatment on the pitch as he was seen clutching his leg before being replaced by Michael Carrick.
Given how crucial these individuals have been and have become over the course of the season, losing them at such a pivotal time of the campaign will be a major body blow for Mourinho and the club.
While they continue to defiantly march on, their lack of options and high-profile absentees could yet come back to haunt them as they look to continue to push for a top four finish while they will prepare for a Europa League semi-final tie with Celta Vigo next month.
It’s in big games like this one against City that it could become most obvious, but as their unbeaten streak goes on in the league, Mourinho will be hopeful that others will continue to step up for the side.
Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic provided an injury update on his Instagram page as he thanked supporters for their well wishes and messages, and hinted that he will fight back from what is a serious injury as he intends to decide when to hang up his boots and not be forced into it.