Jose Mourinho admits Manchester United head to Liverpool full of doubt as he contends with an injury crisis.
United currently have nine players side-lined, with Mourinho hopeful of reducing his casualty list before naming his team to face Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League leaders at Anfield.
Mourinho will hand late fitness tests to host of players over the next 24 hours, with Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling the key names United’s manager hopes to have available.
Diogo Dalot, Matteo Darmian and Scott McTominay are also doubts, while Marcos Rojo, Victor Lindelof, Alexis Sanchez have all been ruled out.
“In Valencia only (David) de Gea and (Nemanja) Matic were available to play and didn’t travel by decision,” he said. “Apart from that the players that didn’t travel were not fit to play in Valencia.
“All of them had injuries and they were not ready. All of them didn’t train yesterday again and today there will be a little introduction to training to see the answer, to see the adaptation and to see if we can increase a little bit to have them available for Sunday.
“I hope some will be available, but for sure some will not be available.”
Liverpool are the only undefeated side in the Premier League and are enjoying their best start in their 126-year history.
They have only conceded one goal at home in the league all season, against Cardiff, keeping 10 clean sheets.
Mourinho accepts he has a host of concerns ahead of the trip – but believes he can come up with a way to halt the Merseysiders’ progress.
“I’m going to try, I’m going to try,” he said. “I always try and I want to play a team that is capable to be with me in that desire and in that ambition and in that confidence.
“We know that we are going to play against the leaders, against a team on a high, but we have our qualities, we have our potential and even with the problems we have and even with the doubts in terms of team choice, of tactics, of approach, philosophy, we have doubts about everything because we don’t know which players are available, but we are going to arrive with the players we have available and we are going to have a team capable of going there and fight for the victory.”
