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Mourinho questions Lampard over one Chelsea star - ‘I don’t understand why he's not here'
JOSE MOURINHO has questioned Chelsea boss Frank Lampard over the non-inclusion of Willian in the squad to play Manchester United on Sunday.
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Willian was absent as Manchester United beat Chelsea 4-0 in both teams’ first Premier League game of the season.
The Brazilian has been out of action with a knee injury since the semi-final of Brazil’s victorious Copa America campaign in July.
In the lead up to the United clash, Lampard said the 31-year-old was back in training but the visit to Old Trafford may have come too soon for him.
However, he is set to return to the Chelsea squad for the European Super Cup match against Liverpool this Wednesday.
If Willian is not injured and is just late on his preparation, I don’t understand why he is not here
And Jose Mourinho says if Willian was only lacking in match fitness, then he should have at least been part of the match day squad on Sunday.
“If Willian is injured, I understand that Willian is not here,” Mourinho said on Sky Sports.
“If Willian is not injured and is just late on his preparation, I don’t understand why he is not here.
“To play 20 minutes, to play 30 minutes, you don’t need to be fit.
“You can come from a three-weeks injury and arrive and if you have the right mentality you are ready.”
Midfielder N’Golo Kante has also been hampered by a hamstring injury and only featured once in pre-season.
The Frenchman came on for the final 17 minutes against United but Mourinho thinks if Kante was able to play at all, then he should have started.
However, from a manager's view, he can understand Lampard disagreeing with him.
“If Kante can play 30 or 35 minutes, he can start the game,” he continued.
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“And then if he lasts only one hour, he lasts only one hour.
“It’s difficult to say [if I would have started Kante] because I’m not there and maybe the reality is completely different.
“One thing that I was always very critical with is when I am the manager and you are the pundit, sometimes you say things that I think to myself ‘you don’t know what is going on, what are you saying, you are completely wrong’.
“So maybe Frank listens to us and says ‘what are you saying? Kante was impossible to play’.”