Jose Mourinho has joked that he may have to wear flip flops for the foreseeable future after being injured by a mystery player in Roma training.
The Portuguese manager, who was recently left in tears upon guiding his Roma side to the inaugural final of the Europa Conference League, took to Instagram to inform his followers of the incident which occurred in Friday's training session. 'The Special One' posted a video of himself receiving medical attention from a member of the club's staff, accompanied by a playful caption.
And while Mourinho teased at the identity of the perpetrator, a closed-mouth emoji suggested he wouldn't be divulging any further clues as to who left him seeking treatment to his damaged left foot.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham manager wrote: “If you see me limping or wearing flip flops you know that a player K kicked me ….K is RK or MK?”. The 59-year-old's caption was followed by a series of laughing face emojis as he clearly saw the funny side of the coming together.
Mourinho's teasing words suggest the culprit may be either right-back Rick Karsdorp, a Dutch international who arrived from Feyenoord back in 2017, or Marash Kumbulla, an Albanian defender who has been on loan at Roma from fellow Serie A side Hellas Verona since 2020. Fans have been left to speculate over which one may have been the guilty party.
The amusing post went down well with Mourinho's many followers and even prompted the coach's former treble-winning Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar to get in touch. The Brazilian stopper's humorous reply read: "You're a doubt for the final!"
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Although Mourinho made light of the incident, the injury was hardly ideal preparations for the Portuguese coach as he gears up for the Europa Conference League showpiece on May 25. Roma will face Dutch side Feyenoord in the final - a team potential perpetrator Karsdorp knows well.
The Giallorossi overcame the likes of Vitesse, Bodo/Glimt and Leicester to reach the first ever Europa Conference League final and victory over the latter in the semi-finals saw Mourinho's emotions get the better of him. The Roma coach could be seen tearing up at the full-time whistle after Tammy Abraham's header proved decisive in the second leg and secured the Serie A side's spot in the final.
The achievement of reaching of the final is the standout success in what has otherwise been a mixed season for Mourinho's Roma. Despite the Giallorossi's significant spending last summer, the side from the eternal city currently find themselves at risk of missing out on European competition altogether next season.
Roma currently sit in sixth, level on points with Fiorentina and Atalanta, and three points adrift of fierce city rivals Lazio, with two matches remaining. Should Mourinho's side remain in sixth, they will secure a spot in next season's Europa League.
The Roma boss recently insisted it gives him great pleasure to have been able to silence his doubters this season by repairing his relationship with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a player he experienced a frosty relationship with at United. Mourinho told Sky Sports : " The thing that makes me really happy is as always people try to be negative, saying Mhki and Jose have no chance.
"I am so happy Mhki has been able to show that everything is not black and white with me and it is possible that I can have a relationship with a player that was different from the past."
