Cesc Fabregas has confirmed that an injury crisis has hit Como ahead of their Champions League clash with Manchester United, with several players facing lengthy spells on the sidelines. The Spanish manager also insisted the Red Devils are not in crisis and called the match a historic occasion for the club.
Injuries: Jesus Rodriguez faces a lengthy spell out
Fabregas delivered the bad news on Jesus Rodriguez, who hurt himself at the end of training.
“Jesus Rodriguez will be out for a long time: he took a shot at goal at the end of training today and injured himself. It does not look like a minor injury, but something a little more serious. Chalobah will be out for two weeks, so he will miss four matches. We’ll see whether Kean can make it for Saturday, while Diao will return after the break.”
A historic day for Como
Fabregas stressed the importance of the challenge and said his side must adapt well during a special period for the club.
“Tomorrow will be a historic day, once again. We’re going through a special period and we need to adapt well, aware of the importance of the challenge. United are a great team with great players and an incredible history. We’ll try to win, as always.”
United in crisis? “You’re making it up”
The Como boss rejected the idea that United are struggling and dismissed the concept of crises in football altogether.
“Crises in football don’t exist: there’s a match every three days, and there’s no time to think about whether there’s a crisis or not. It’s eleven against eleven, and you try to win. You invent the crisis; we don’t feel it because we’re professionals who want to compete. I don’t believe in these things: they’re Manchester United and they have great players. We’ll try to win, as I said before.”
Messi’s shirt
Fabregas also reflected on how far Como have come, calling the occasion a reward for the club’s recent work.
“I think it’s an honour to see the best player in history wearing our shirt. Until recently, it was unimaginable. An evening like tomorrow’s is a reward for what we’ve done in recent years. We deserve to play matches like this. We’re really looking forward to it and proud to be able to play in it.”