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Jose Mourinho set to field emergency defensive pairing as Man United injury crisis deepens
JOSE MOURINHO is facing up to a defensive injury crisis as he bids to keep Manchester United in the frame for next season's Champions League.
Jose Mourinho set to field emergency defensive pairing as his Man United injury crisis deepens
Eric Bailly's ankle problem is likely to keep him out of Manchester United's Europa League first-leg semi-final trip to Spain to face Celta Vigo on Thursday.
It means full-backs Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian are set to be pressed into service as an emergency central defensive pairing - with Ashley Young once again asked to play on the flank.
Jose Mourinho is without eight senior players for Thursday's match, including top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic and defenders Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Tim Fosu-Mensah.
He does at least have Juan Mata fit again, with the winger included in the squad for Sunday's 1-1 draw against Swansea as an unused substitute barely a month after having groin surgery.
But the United boss is becoming increasingly exasperated at the length of his casualty list and has been critical of both Smalling and Jones, believing both are being over-cautious about their returns from injury.
Both players were injured on England duty in late March, with Jones suffering a foot problem and Smalling an issue with his knee.
Eric Bailly looks set to miss Man United's Europa League semi-final clash with Celta Vigo
Paul Pogba will be fit for Man United's clash with Celta Vigo
Paul Pogba will be fit, having recovered from the knock that forced him to miss Sunday's game - but Mourinho remains deeply unhappy about the fixture congestion his side are facing.
United are chasing Champions League qualification on two fronts, as they can make it either by finishing in the top four or by winning the Europa League.
However, that push for a European trophy forced them to play nine games in April, and they could face as many as seven more matches in the first 24 days of May.