Jose Mourinho reckons Marouane Fellaini will be back from injury for Manchester United after the international break
Fellaini managed to hobble on after picking up the ankle knock against the Saints and did not travel to Moscow
JOSE MOURINHO is hopeful Marouane Fellaini will be back after the international break.
The big Belgian picked up an ankle injury during United's 1-0 win over Southampton at the weekend.
Fellaini, 29, has been in the form of his life this season after a strong start, finding the net against Leicester and Basel.
United have won all but two of their games this term, after a defeat to Real Madrid in the Uefa Super Cup and a draw with Stoke at the Bet365 Stadium.
And ahead of United's Champions League group clash against CSKA Moscow, Mourinho admitted Fellaini would be a big loss.
He said: "Fellaini was lucky. It could be a much worse situation, but in a moment where we don’t have Pogba and Carrick, Marouane becomes even more important than he always is.
"Not to be here tomorrow is a difficult situation for us.
"I expect Fellaini not to be out for a long time. After Crystal Palace there is an international break.
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"Belgium was the first team to quality, so no pressure for a special big match with Belgium. Hopefully he’ll be back for us."
Mourinho also reserved praise for ref Craig Pawson, who he rates as one of the best in the Premier League.
The ref sent Mourinho to the stands for encroaching on to the pitch in the final moments of the clash, but the gaffer was not cited by the FA.
He added: "For me Craig Pawson is one of the big referee talents in England. He was so calm and in control, I think he had a great performance.
"After I watched it on television, no camera for Craig and he made that decision. Decision made."
