Jose Mourinho has confirmed that defenders Phil Jones and Eric Bailly will still be absent for Saturday’s match against Brighton & Hove Albion, but Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will both play as they continue their returns from injury.
“They are out,” Mourinho said to MUTV about the two defenders. “But we are OK because we have [Chris] Smalling, [Marcos] Rojo and [Victor] Lindelof.”
“Paul is still on this process where he cannot reach the fatigue limit,” Mourinho said. “He cannot go more than 65 to 70 minutes because that’s when fatigue normally arrives and, with so many matches consecutively, we need to protect such an important player for us.
“I prefer [Ibrahimovic] on the pitch than off the pitch. On the pitch, he’s another option for us and he’s an option of quality. His physicality and his intelligence, the way he moves, the way he plays.
“But he needs time. We managed to give him 15-20 minutes in both matches, he needs more of that, so hopefully, tomorrow, we play him again.”
“Step by step, minute after minute, match after match. It is easy to play him if the team is losing for the last 15 or 20 minutes. If the team is winning his qualities are adapted, you don’t play him only if the team is losing.
“Normally he is going to have this period of 15, 20 minutes and one day he will feel he is physically ready. He’s one more option for us and it is impossible for [Romelu] Lukaku to play every match, every minute like he’s doing and he is another option.”
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