Manchester United's Paul Pogba out for long-term with injury, says Jose Mourinho

London: Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is facing a long spell on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury, manager Jose Mourinho said on Friday.

Pogba suffered the injury in United’s 3-0 Champions League win over Basel this month.

“He’s injured, he cannot play on Saturday and it’s not an injury that I can have the hope like I have with (Antonio) Valencia or (Phil) Jones,” Mourinho told a news conference ahead of the home Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

“I have the hope to see them in training and to have a positive answer.”

Mourinho did not put a time scale on Pogba’s return but said he was thinking about the 24-year-old France international in the same way as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo, who are expected to miss the rest of the year due to injuries.

“So long-term injuries I don’t speak about them,” Mourinho said. “Ibra and Pogba and Rojo, these players I don’t think about them,” he concluded.