Pogba set to miss Man United’s Southampton clash

Paul Pogba is expected to miss Manchester United’s Premier League clash with Southampton on Wednesday after being given compassionate leave to attend his father’s funeral.

Pogba was absent from the squad for Sunday’s defeat at Tottenham following the death of his father, Fassou Antoine, on Friday.

The France midfielder is likely to return in the final league game of the season against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford ahead of next Wednesday’s Europa League final against Ajax in Stockholm.

But manager Jose Mourinho said he had put no time constraints on Pogba and told a news conference: “I don’t think he will be available against Southampton.

“I think that his dad’s funeral has to be between Tuesday and Wednesday in France, so 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.”

With United now unable to claim a top-four finish in the Premier League, Mourinho will rest and rotate players against Southampton and Palace before the Ajax clash.

“A final is a final and we have to go to the final with everything like Ajax does, because they have finished their season and they do not have any more football to play until the final,” he said.

“But I have to build some teams with the minimum of conditions to fight for the result.

“We lost against Arsenal 2-0, we fought for the result. We lost 2-1 against Tottenham and we fought for the result and we want to fight for the result.

“I don’t want to field a team where people have a feeling that we are not fighting for the result, but I am going to rotate people.”

Mourinho said Daley Blind would not play against Southampton but Marouane Fellaini will “because he’s not played the last three league matches.”

But he added: “I cannot put four or five kids all together in the fire. I cannot do that to the kids.”

United’s encounter with Ajax will be their 64th game of the season — one more than Sir Alex Ferguson’s team played during the 1998-99 Treble-winning campaign.

And Mourinho said he had given players unscheduled days off to ensure they would be ready for the final.

“It’s all so difficult,” he said. “I am giving one day holiday, a la carte, if you understand what I mean.

“Monday Blind, one day off, Monday Mkhitaryan one day off. He played 90 minutes, or 70, and now 30 more. Herrera one day off.

“It is a la carte and trying to have the people the best they can. It has to be.

“And against Crystal Palace, two or three more, and against Southampton, two or three more and that’s to try to arrive at the final in the best possible condition.”