Mourinho's advice for injured Fellaini: Shut up and sign your new contract

The Manchester United boss took a lighthearted approach in advising his injured midfielder to sign his deal before he learns the extent of the issue

Posted Saturday, February 03, 2018 by Goal.com

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho told Marouane Fellaini to "sign the contract and shut up" as the injured midfielder nears the end of his deal.

Fellaini, 30, is set to miss several weeks after suffering a knee injury in United's 2-0 loss to Tottenham in the Premier League Wednesday.

The Belgium international is out of contract at the end of the season and Mourinho, in lighthearted fashion, said he had told the midfielder to sign a new deal.

"I told him yesterday, 'sign the contract and shut up'," Mourinho told a news conference Friday.

"I told him, 'don't gamble too much, sign the contract before you know the extent of the injury.'"

Mourinho is unsure exactly how long he will be without Fellaini, who has made 12 Premier League appearances this season.

The Portuguese tactician revealed Fellaini could miss anywhere between two and five weeks.

"It is not an ACL, a complete rupture of any structure of the knee," Mourinho said.

"But we need him, the Champions League is arriving [United's first leg against Sevilla is February 21] and lots of tough matches to play and probably we are going to lose him for a few weeks. Two, three, four or five, I cannot say at the moment."

Mourinho had already made it clear that he felt the 30-year-old was vital to his club.

Galatasaray, Besiktas and Paris Saint-Germain have been mentioned as possible suitors of a man who followed David Moyes to Old Trafford in a £27.5 million transfer back in the summer of 2013 and has not always been a fan favorite.

"It's a very important player for me and is a great professional that is giving everything he can to help the team and there is a desire from myself, the board and the player to stay together," said the Portuguese tactician in January.

"That's our objective. Are we going to reach, to agree?

"I don't know but what I know is that myself, the board and the player we would like to have a happy year."