Tuesday 16 May 2017 22:20, UK
Paul Pogba will miss Manchester United's Sky Live game at Southampton on Wednesday after being granted compassionate leave following the death of his father, manager Jose Mourinho has revealed.
Pogba's father, Fassou Antoine, passed away last Friday following a long-term illness. Pogba was left out of the squad for United's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday.
"I don't think (he will be available)," Mourinho said, in comments published on Manchester United's website on Tuesday. "I think that his dad's funeral has to be between Tuesday and Wednesday in France.
"I don't think that Paul has the conditions to play. We have left him completely free to be back when he thinks he's ready."
After visiting Southampton, United finish the Premier League season at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday before tackling Ajax in the Europa League final in Stockholm on May 24.
With injuries having robbed United of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw and Ashley Young, Mourinho is carefully managing the remaining players at his disposal in order to have them in peak condition for the next week's final.
"I am giving one-day holiday 'a la carte', if you understand - Blind one day off, [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan one day off, [Ander] Herrera one day off," he said. "But the guys who played 90 minutes [versus Spurs], I cannot give them one day off if I want them to play versus Southampton because they need two recovery days.
"I'm trying to get people to be the best they can be. This is a period in one week where I have to give one day off, give [Antonio] Valencia a day off. And, against Crystal Palace, two or three more [players], and against Southampton, two or three more. And that's to try to arrive in the final in the best possible condition."
