Manchester United’s Chris Smalling Eric Bailly and Antonio Valencia face late fitness tests

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Manchester United will give late fitness tests to Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly and Antonio Valencia in the hope that at least one will be able to play against Arsenal on Wednesday amid an injury crisis.

At a news conference on Tuesday, United manager Jose Mourinho was downbeat about the chances of Smalling, Bailly or Valencia being available for the game at Old Trafford.

All three will be given until the last minute to prove their fitness, but Phil Jones and Luke Shaw are likely to miss out and Ashley Young is suspended. Victor Lindelof and Alexis Sanchez are definitely out.

Marcos Rojo, Diogo Dalot and Matteo Darmian are United’s only fully fit defenders.

On Tuesday, Mourinho reacted angrily to a question from a reporter for in-house television channel MUTV about the club’s injury problems.

“I don’t want to update you,” the manager said. “I would like the Arsenal TV to make the same questions but they don’t, they hide everything from the inside, so why should I answer to you.”

Mourinho also snapped back when asked about the 2-2 draw at Southampton on Saturday, asking: “Why do you speak about the weekend and not about the next one?”

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