Man Utd Boss Jose Mourinho Slams England for Playing Phil Jones Despite Lingering Injury

Jose Mourinho has in the past directed his fair share of comments about opposition managers for moaning about injuries, but this time the Manchester United boss is taking aim at himself, claiming he was naive not to withdraw his own players from international duty, after Phil Jones aggravated a knock with England.

The United boss's outburst comes following the injury to Jones, who will now likely miss the league clash against Newcastle United after succumbing to a thigh injury in the Three Lions' clash with Germany last week. 

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Mourinho admits Jones had been carrying a niggle in his thigh and he should not have been allowed to play, he said, via the Mirror: "I don’t think it is possible for a player with a problem to play in a friendly.

“Of course, Phil Jones had a problem. He was having a problem for three weeks, he’s having problems that are stopping him to play for his club and then he plays for his club in extreme conditions [in their final match before the internationals] because it’s a big match against Chelsea.

“And then he goes to the national team and he comes home with an ongoing injury that everyone knows is an ongoing injury.

Unlike Tottenham and Manchester City who withdrew the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Harry Winks, Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph respectively, Mourinho allowed Jones to join the England camp despite his lingering fitness doubts.

He added: “You have always some clubs where their players, they have always have something. It could be a fingernail, he has a little flu, he has a problem with the little toe, and they withdraw, and they stay with their clubs and they have their holidays and they have their rest.

“Then, there are always the clubs where the mangers are naive[(holding up his hand to say ‘me’], too pure and they say you have to go and they go and sometimes they pay the price and they pay the price.

“I want to see this next weekend if the players that were not going to the national team, I want to see if they are going to play. Drinkwater? Delph? The only one that is not playing is Phil Jones.”

With a hectic festive schedule awaiting Mourinho and United, the 54-year-old will be hoping for a short recovery time for Jones as the club have already had to contend with a host of injuries to key members of the squad.