Things have gone pretty swimmingly for Jose Mourinho in his first few months as Manchester United manager, with star transfers completed and a 100 percent winning record, so far, in the English Premier League.
However, Mourinho has been left with his first real conundrum at just the wrong time. The Mirror reports that both of Mourinho's first-choice full-backs, Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia, will struggle to face Pep Guardiola's Manchester City on Saturday.
Shaw has a calf injury, while Valencia, so impressive for Mourinho in the early weeks of the season, only arrives back in England from international duty with Ecuador 24 hours before the derby game.
Mourinho has talented youth players he can draft in at full-back, including the highly-rated Timothy Fosu-Mensah. But if he wants experience, he may have to shift Daley Blind across, which would break up what has been one of the Premier League's best central defensive partnerships in Dutchman Blind and new signing Eric Bailly.
Of course, if United want to reclaim the Premier League title, there will be many roadblocks larger than this ahead. But it is a problem Mourinho can do without as he homes in on a first English meeting with old rival Guardiola.
Uncommon Knowledge
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