Man Utd injury news: Furious Mourinho likely to return as second defender pulls out of international duty

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Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho is likely to be far from impressed as defender Chris Smalling has withdrawn from the England squad due to injury.

As noted by The Mirror, Phil Jones pulled out earlier this week with a foot injury, and now Smalling has joined him in returning to Manchester early after in fact injuring his club teammate.

United will now face an anxious wait to determine how long the pair will be out for but with Mourinho already furious this month about the schedule and how his squad is struggling to get through it, it isn’t about to get any easier.

The Red Devils are set to play nine times in April with Premier League and Europa League duties, and being left so threadbare in defence could prove to be a major issue if both men are out for a significant period of time.

From England’s perspective, Gareth Southgate has called in Ben Gibson for the Lithuania game, but that will be of no consolation to United who now face further headaches in getting through a crucial part of the season.

Between them, Smalling and Jones have made 52 appearances in all competitions so far this season, and although the likes of Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly will still be available, it isn’t really what Mourinho would have wanted as he waits for his troops to return from international duty to refocus on domestic matters.

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