Jose Mourinho blames England for Phil Jones’ injury

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London, Nov 17: Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has blamed the England set-up after Phil Jones irritated his thigh injury during England's friendly match against Germany.

Star players including Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson etc all pulled back their names from Gareth Southgate's England squad for friendlies against Germany and Brazil because of injury as a precaution.

However, knowing the fact that Jones is prone to injury and already carrying a knock, Southgate decided to include the player in the first friendly against in which the defender again reportedly aggregated the injury and had to limp off with a thigh problem within the first half.

And while discussing the player's availability for the upcoming match against Newcastle in the weekend Mourinho questioned Gareth Southgate's decision to play the 25-year-old defender and suggested that he is not confident if Jones will be able to play this week.

The United manager told the Daily 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 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."

Mourinho also said that he had been naive to give Jones a chance to join the England squad when on the other hand other clubs were being over-defensive of their players.

Mourinho added: "You have always some clubs where their players, they 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 managers are naive, 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.

"[Danny] Drinkwater? Delph? The only one that is not playing is Phil Jones."

Manchester United will again come back to the League action this weekend against Newcastle United at Old Trafford and the Red Devils will head into the game hoping to return to winning routes after their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the last game.

United are currently in second place on the table and eight points behind leaders Manchester City after 11 matches.