Mourinho admits ‘naivety’ over Man Utd star’s England call-up

Jose Mourinho was left fuming with England’s treatment of Phil Jones after the defender aggravated a thigh injury against Germany last week.

Jones will miss this weekend’s clash with Newcastle after limping off in England’s goalless draw against the Germans last Friday, and Mourinho has admitted that he was ‘naive’ to let the 25-year-old leave on international duty in the first place.

He said: “I don’t think it is possible for a player with a problem to play in a friendly.

“Of course, Phil Jones had a problem. He was having a problem for three weeks, he’s having problems that are stopping him to play for his club and then he plays for his club in extreme conditions [in their final match before the internationals] because it’s a big match against Chelsea.

“And then he goes to the national team and he comes home with an ongoing injury that everyone knows is an ongoing injury.”

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While the likes of Tottenham kept Harry Kane, Harry Winks and Dele Alli at home and Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph went back to Manchester City, Mourinho did not prevent Jones from joining up.

He said: “You have always some clubs where their players, they have always have something.

“It could be a fingernail, he has a little flu, he has a problem with the little toe, and they withdraw, and they stay with their clubs and they have their holidays and they have their rest.

“Then, there are always the clubs where the mangers are naive (holding up his hand to say ‘me’), too pure and they say you have to go and they go and sometimes they pay the price and they pay the price.

“I want to see this next weekend if the players that were not going to the national team, I want to see if they are going to play. Drinkwater? Delph? The only one that is not playing is Phil Jones.”