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Jose Mourinho revealed his fears of injury for Antonio Valencia – despite Manchester United's concerns over the calf problem that forced him to fight San Jose Earthquakes.
Valencia collapsed after seven minutes of the 0-0 draw at Santa Clara, but insisted later that it would be vying to face AC Milan in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Mourinho, however, believes that the incident is a worrying indicator for the coming season.
"He's hurt," Mourinho told MUTV. "We have to get used to it last season, it was already in such a situation and probably this season we will have more."
Mourinho had the Portuguese hopeful Diogo Dalot sign his first 19-year-old as United's long-term solution on the right. And although it is not supposed to immediately challenge Valencia, United manager's comments highlight his worries about this area of his team.
Valencia was handed the captain's armband after Michael Carrick's retirement, but at age 32, he reached the twilight of his career.
His injury to Levi's Stadium caused worried looks on the United bench, as Dalot is recovering from a meniscus problem that will exclude him until September.
Matteo Darmian replaced Valencia – but the Italian should leave this summer, with Inter Milan and Juventus interested.
Valencia was seen lame as it was leaving the stadium on Sunday, but was optimistic about its prospects of facing AC Milan in Los Angeles on Thursday.
He insists that the problem is minimal and is expected to be in contention for the first clash of the International Champions Cup at Stubhub Center.
That is why Mourinho's comments were such a surprise.
It is unlikely that the Portuguese will risk such a key player – especially so close to the beginning of a season when he will already be deprived of stars like Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku after their exploits in World Cup.
Mourinho emphasized the importance of Valencia in his projects by confirming that he would be captain of the team this season.
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"The captain was Valencia last season," he said last week. I think he'll be the captain
"And when he's not playing, we have to make decisions – it depends on who's on the ground. (Chris) Smalling is, or if Ashley Young is, or if (Ander) Herrera is, or if (Juan) Mata is, if they are on the ground, they are an option.)
"I think a guy like (Nemanja) Matic has all the attributes to be the captain of Manchester United but of course he arrived only a year ago.
"But for me, I do not care too much about the captaincy, I care more about life in the locker room and the leaders in the locker room. "
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