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Jose Mourinho hit by Man United striker crisis: Four stars out of Chelsea FA Cup clash
JOSE MOURINHO has been hit by a striker crisis ahead of Manchester United’s FA Cup tie at Chelsea tomorrow (7.45pm).
Jose Mourinho has been hit by a striker crisis ahead of Man United clash with Chelsea in the FA Cup
All four of his front men are out of the quarter-final tie at Stamford Bridge after Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial picked up injuries in training and Marcus Rashford was struck down by illness.
With leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic starting a three-game domestic ban, it means Jose Mourinho is likely to have to play midfielder Marouane Fellaini as an emergency striker.
Marouane Fellaini looks set to start up-front as emergency cover for Man United
Rooney, it is understood, was hurt in a collision with Phil Jones. Although the latest injury is unclear Rooney was not in the Manchester United squad that travelled to London and neither were Martial or Rashford.
It is not the first time the two have clashed accidentally in training. In 2013 Rooney had to miss a game after suffering a gash to his head in a collision with the defender.
Rooney's injury also raises a question mark over his fitness for England's forthcoming internationals against Germany and Lithuania later this month.
Marcus Rashford did not travel with United to London due to being struck down by illness
The absence of any recognised striker is a serious blow to United’s chances of staying in the competition they won last season.
Mourinho vowed last week to field a strong side as possible for the game against his former club even though it is sandwiched between the two legs against Rostov in the round of 16 in the Europa League which offers the winners a route into the Champions League.
He said then: “It’s just a game that comes in the wrong moment for us, because the Europa League is a competition that can give us a Champions League spot, and the FA Cup does not. So the Europa League is more important than the FA Cup for us.”