Manchester United have been dealt a major blow in their efforts to win the Manchester Derby after it has emerged that Paul Pogba is also unavailable for the game.
The world’s most expensive player appears to have suffered a muscle injury in the 2-0 win over Burnley during the weekend. United are looking to secure a win in this Manchester derby in order to move into the fourth spot of the Premier League table. After having witnessed Liverpool suffered a 2-1 loss against Crystal Palace, it is imperative that United take advantage of the two games in hand to close the gap on the Reds.
While there are doubts about the availability of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, United are certainly boosted by the return of Ander Herrera and Antonio Valencia. Mourinho has tried to play down the significance of the rivalry between United and City coming into the game.
He says that the qualification for top four takes precedence over the club rivalry. City are also fighting for a top four finish, and a defeat would see them drop out of the Champions League qualification places. It would add to more doubts about Pep Guardiola in his first season. City will be finishing the campaign without any trophies, a first for Guardiola in his managerial career.
“It means nothing (to finish above Man City). If you finish fifth and they sixth we are above them but it means nothing. If they finish third and we finish fourth, they are above us and it means a lot.This is not about Pep [Guardiola] or City. It’s about objectives and we want to play Champions League football and we still have two doors open (Premier League and Europa League).We fight with what we have,” said Mourinho ahead of the Manchester derby.