.Pogba, Carrick, Rojo, Ibrahamovic to resume
Jose Mourinho insists he doesn’t want to talk about all of the injuries he has at Manchester United, and soon he might not have to.
A report from the Daily Mail states that Paul Pogba, Michael Carrick and Marcos Rojo have all trained with United’s reserve squad during the international break, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic not far off a return to team training either.
Pogba has been out since early September (missing 12 games) with a hamstring problem, while Rojo suffered a serious knee ligament injury at the end of last season and Carrick has recovered from a virus.
The news that Pogba could return for United’s game against Newcastle United on Nov. 18 will be music to the ears of Mourinho. There’s no doubt United has missed his ability to run forward from midfield and link up with his close friend Romelu Lukaku and without Pogba the fluidity of their midfield play just hasn’t been there.
As for Rojo, he had a strong season for United in central defense and at left back in 2016-17 and has become an essential player for Mourinho. If the Red Devils persist with a 3-5-2 system then Rojo will likely start as the left-sided center back alongside Phil Jones and Eric Bailly in central defense.
Carrick will play a bit-part role but given Ander Herrera‘s recent struggles in midfield, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran midfielder play his fair share of games alongside Nemanja Matic and Maraoune Fellaini in the engine room.
All in all, this is very good news for United but it also halts any excuses Mourinho was starting to have for a loss of form for his side.
United do sit second in the Premier League table but they’re eight points behind leaders, and crosstown rivals, Manchester City. Having this trio back fit, plus Ibra improving all the time, will give United a big boost ahead of the massive Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Dec. 10 and the busy festive period on the horizon.
