Manchester United take on FC Rostov on Thursday evening in the first leg of their last 16 Europa League tie.
Or at least, that’s what’s supposed to happen…
As we told you earlier, the pitch that United are due to play on in Russia is in far from pristine condition ahead of the game, so much so that it’s now being reported that Jose Mourinho wants the game called off.
United arrived in Russia on Tuesday, and their manager has since let it be known that he is far from happy with the playing surface at the Olimp-2 Stadium. As reported by Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News, Mourinho is so unimpressed he doesn’t want the game to go ahead.
Here's the pitch in Rostov. Can see why jose is unhappy pic.twitter.com/i2gqvQUGcr
— Paul Hirst (@hirstclass) March 8, 2017
Unsurprisingly, the game is unlikely to be cancelled or postponed at this late stage, although United have until Thursday afternoon to lodge an appeal with UEFA.
Mourinho is said to have concerns that the pitch could pose a risk of injury to his players and will make changes to the line-up he originally had in mind for the game.
After making his feelings known to a UEFA official, the United manager was reportedly told that any injuries to players were ‘no problem’ as they would be covered by insurance – something that is unlikely to have gone down well with Mourinho.
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