Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has challenged Ashley Young to return early from his holiday amid the ongoing injury concerns on the right side of the defence. United were already without summer signing Diogo Dalot due to a knee injury and their woes has further increased with captain Antonio Valencia sustaining a calf problem.

Speaking in a news conference, Mourinho highlighted that the club may require Young earlier from his vacation to take up the right-back duties, considering Matteo Darmian has already made his mind up to leave the club, he said: “Ashley Young is a possibility to play at right-back. He is on holiday and I don’t know if he fancies being back before that to put himself available for the team – or if he prefers to stay on holiday. Darmian wants to leave and I think when a player wants to leave if the right offer arrives you have to be human and let the player follow his instincts, but not at any price. “Until now the offers we have got for Matteo are not even close to being accepted.”

Of late, United have been utilising the services of Darmian in the right-back spot but that could soon change, should one of the player’s admirers agree to match their £18m asking price. Meanwhile, Victor Lindelof and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are also capable of slotting into the right-back spot if required but Mourinho has barely played the duo in the position previously.

Manchester United are presently in their pre-season tour of the United States where they have already played three games and they are now scheduled to tackle Liverpool and Real Madrid before heading home. Once that happens, United should consider potential offers for Darmian, though Mourinho has highlighted that the Italian would only leave at the right price.