Mourinho aghast at England injecting Jones six times

Jose Mourinho has hit out at England’s treatment of Phil Jones during the international break.

The Manchester United defender reported for Three Lions duty with an existing thigh problem, which he and the club have been managing for a number of weeks, and was selected to start against Germany last Friday.

He lasted just 25 minutes at Wembley, forced off after feeling discomfort in his left thigh, which had already been heavily strapped before kick-off.

The 25-year-old duly returned to his club and United boss Mourinho offered an animated view on Gareth Southgate’s decision to pick him for the friendly and the measures taken to get him on the field.

“For me the stranger thing with Phil Jones is that I have been a manager since 2000 and in 17 years as a manager I don’t have one single player that had injections of anaesthetic to play a friendly,” he said.

“Never. Never. I am not an angel and I had players be injected to play official matches, crucial matches, but a friendly? To get six local anaesthetic injections to play a friendly, I’ve never heard of that. But Phil Jones had it and had it before the match and after 15 minutes he was out and he is out (against Newcastle on Saturday).”

Asked if he had taken the matter up with Southgate, Mourinho added: “No, no, no. I am just telling a fact. He was injected in the afternoon of the match, he didn’t feel good during the warm-up. Between the warm-up and the start of the match he had five more local injections to play the friendly.

“I have nothing more to say.”

While Mourinho appeared particularly aggrieved that his player was risked in a friendly, England were treating their final games of the year as important World Cup preparation and a high-profile chance to bed in their back-three system.

The Football Association does not comment on specific player treatment plans on grounds of confidentiality but Press Association Sport understands FA medical staff liaised with their United counterparts before, during and after the England camp.

The treatment received by Jones is believed to have been a standard pain-relieving procedure, with the number of injections not considered unusual.