Mourinho Confirms Ankle Problem Could Force Man Utd Defender Out of International Duty

José Mourinho has said that England international Phil Jones could be forced to miss international duty after the defender was seen feeling his ankle following United's victory over Leicester City on Saturday.

The Portuguese manager is a big fan of the 25-year-old and Mourinho is confident that if Jones can stay fit, he will continue to learn as a central defender, according to the Mirror.

Jones moved to Manchester United for £17m in 2011, after impressing in the Blackburn first team. The Preston-born defender has gone on to register 170 appearances for United, as well as 21 appearances for the England national team.

Michael Regan/GettyImages

"He’s potentially a very good player, he’s still young and at a learning age,” Mourinho said of Jones. "But for years, he was injury-prone.

"And now he’s complaining about an ankle problem.

"So he’s the kind of player where we need to have him always in our hands with a lot of care from the medical department," he added. "If we manage to protect him from injuries, he is everything I like in a central defender."

Ross Kinnaird/GettyImages

The Three Lions will travel to Malta on Friday evening before hosting Slovakia at Wembley just three days later in their World Cup qualifying double-header. 

Manchester United do not return to action until September 9, with a difficult away trip to the bet365 Stadium before hosting FC Basel in their first Champions League game this season three days later.