Manchester United have revealed their Champions League squad for this season’s group stage, with strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and James Wilson both included.
Ibrahimovic, who re-signed for the Reds last month, is not expected to return to action until January, but Mourinho has included the Swede in his Champions League squad, after hinting at it when the deal was announced.
Speaking on August 25, the United manager said: “He will not be ready for the group phase of the Champions League. I don’t think there is any chance of that. Do we have space in the Champions League list to have him? Yes. So we don’t need to leave any player outside of the list.
“But I’m not thinking Zlatan to play any part of the group phase. Hopefully, he can play in the knockout phase but for that we need to finish top too.”
Wilson is the other surprise inclusion in United’s Champions League squad, having spent most of last season rehabilitating a ruptured ACL sustaining while out on loan at Championship side Derby County.
The 21-year-old has also been given a new squad number – 29. His previous number of 19 having been handed to Marcus Rashford after the Biddulph-born striker was loaned out. Wilson’s only outing under Mourinho was in the Portuguese’s first game in charge at Wigan in a friendly at the start of last season.
Rashford, Scott McTominay, Joel Pereira and Axel Tuanzebe are not in the main squad itself, but they have all been included in United’s B list, as they are all under the age of 21 and were born on or after January 1, 1996.
United’s Champions League squad:
Goalkeepers: David de Gea, Sergio Romero.
Defenders: Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo, Victor Lindelöf, Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian, Luke Shaw.
Midfielders: Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic, Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick, Ashley Young, Jesse Lingard, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata.
Forwards: Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, James Wilson.
B list: Joel Pereira, Axel Tuanzebe, Scott McTominay, Marcus Rashford.
