Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho spoke to the media on Tuesday evening ahead of his side’s clash with Sevilla in the Champions League.
The two sides meet in Spain for the first leg of their last-16 tie, and the Portuguese tactician will undoubtedly be desperate to see his side come away with a positive result to take back to Old Trafford.
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In key news, he has confirmed that midfielder Paul Pogba will be fit to feature having been sidelined by an illness, with the Frenchman seen taking part in a training session on Tuesday.
Mou on Pogba being fit: “I opened the training session today in the part we don’t normally open. We did it for quite a long time and not just in warm-up. When a player is in that competitive situation it is because they are ready and without problems.” #MUFC
— Kris Voakes (@krisvoakes) February 20, 2018
Meanwhile, he also spoke on Alexis Sanchez’s motivation after his January switch from Arsenal as the Chilean international is seemingly relishing playing in the Champions League again.
He’ll be a key figure for the Red Devils if they wish to make a deep run in the competition this year, and with his pace, technical quality and decisiveness in the final third, he’ll be expected to play an important role against Sevilla.
Jose: “Manchester United in the Champions League is quite a big thing, we always want to play against the best teams and this is why we like this competition. So, Alexis wanted to come to a team in order to play in the Champions League [this season].” #MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 20, 2018
Meanwhile, Mourinho also paid tribute to the Spanish outfit and coach Vincenzo Montella, who took over earlier this season after being sacked by AC Milan.
Nevertheless, the Italian tactician has evidently done enough to impress Mourinho, as he accepts that his side will come up against a well-organised team in Sevilla and it will likely prove to be a difficult contest.
Time will tell if they are able to see off Montella and his men, as it will be crucial in their season and hunt for trophies.
“Sevilla have good defensive organisation, they defend with everybody,” Jose says. “[Sevilla manager Vincenzo] Montella is Italian – Italian coaches know how to organise their teams very compact from the defensive point of view.”
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 20, 2018