Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has said that it is still too early to tell whether club captain Antonio Valencia will be fit to return for his side’s Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur this evening.
Valencia is yet to feature this season due to injury, but returned to training alongside fellow doubts Nemanja Matic, Alexis Sanchez and Diogo Dalot last week.
United have had eight days to rest following their 3-2 defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, and Mourinho is thankful for the extended break.
“When you have a good week when you train really well, things are positive, you expect good individual performances. You don’t expect mistakes and you expect a good result, not a defeat,” he told Sky Sports News.
“Normally when you lose you want to play immediately and two days after that was not the case. But I am happy that was not the case because in this moment we need some time. We need players to be back, we need players to train more to have a kind of pre-season after the pre-season that they didn’t have after the World Cup.
“[Valencia] is one of the guys that we have to wait and see. Not injured, training with the team Valencia, Matic, Diogo Dalot, they are all back to working with the team but it is too early today.”
Marcos Rojo could also be in contention for a return during tonight’s match at Old Trafford.