Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be kept on the bench again when Manchester United face Brighton at Old Trafford, but Jose Mourinho admits the Swedish superstar will soon be needed to lift the burden off Romelu Lukaku.
Ibrahimovic has made two appearances as a substitute since launching his comeback from a cruciate ligament injury – in last weekend’s Premier League win over Newcastle and the Champions League defeat to Basle.
Mourinho will resist the temptation to play the Swedish striker from the start against Brighton as he eases the 36-year-old back into action after seven months on the sidelines.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still not ready to start for Manchester United following his knee injury
Jose Mourinho admits he will need to rely on the Swede during the busy festive period
But as United face three league games in the space of eight days and a heavy Christmas fixture list, the United boss accepts that Ibrahimovic will be needed to step in sooner rather than later.
Asked is the player is ready to start, Mourinho said: ‘No. Not ready, step by step, minute after minute, match after match.
‘It’s easy to play him if the team is losing for the last 15 or 20 minutes. If the team is winning, his qualities are adapted. You don’t play him only if the team is losing or winning. He’s a player who is easy to bring to the game, so normally he is going to have this period of 15-20 minutes and one day he will feel he is physically ready.
Ibrahimovic will be on the bench again when Manchester United host Brighton in the league
Mourinho says Ibrahimovic will be needed to lift burden on Romelu Lukaku in coming weeks
‘His impact on the pitch is always positive. He’s a good influence, it doesn’t change if he’s playing or not playing. He’s one more option for us and it’s impossible for Lukaku to play every match, every minute like he’s doing. So we need this second striker, another striker. When I say second, I say second option.’
Mourinho confirmed that Eric Bailly and Phil Jones are still not fit enough to play, meaning that Marcos Rojo – who returned from an ACL injury against Basle – may continue in central defence.
‘Bailly and Jones are out,’ added Mourinho. ‘The evolution was not good enough to have Bailly back for this game.
Mourinho also confirmed that Eric Bailly and Phil Jones are still not fit enough to play
Bailly last played against Chelsea at the start of November but is not yet fit enough to return
‘Rojo played very well. We have to see how he is today. The injury is gone, there is no more injury in the frame but fatigue.
‘Maybe he feels a little bit but, to be honest, Zlatan returned before him and (Paul) Pogba returned before him, but he was in better condition.
‘He didn’t return before because we had all the central defenders ready to play so we didn’t need to push him to the pitch and gave him time to prepare. So when he played on Wednesday he was more than ready for that match.’