‘I Don’t Think He Can Play’: Mourinho on Dybala Ahead of Europa League Final
The Argentine forward picked up an ankle injury last month and is yet to fully recover.
Paulo Dybala, Roma’s star forward, could miss the Europa League final against six-time champions Sevilla. The Argentine forward has scored 16 goals and eight assists across all competitions this season, and therefore, his absence will be felt by Roma fans during the finale.
Mourinho’s statement
Speaking about Dybala, Roma’s gaffer Jose Mourinho said, "I don’t think he can play. Honestly, I hope he can make it for the bench. It’s the last game of the season, even if after that we have Spezia. But for Paulo, it would be the last game. I’d be happy if Paulo could go on the bench and play 15 or 20 minutes. Dybala is still with the doctors."
Roma’s next
Roma’s immediate next game is against 11th-placed Fiorentina on Saturday, with the Europa League final following that. Mourinho informed reporters that midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini is set to play the final game after missing the last two games due to an injury. However, his return will not take place during the Fiorentina game.
A savage dig at Tottenham
Recently, Jose Mourinho took a dig at his former club Tottenham Hotspur after he said that he "will forever be tied to Roma," but he does not have the same feeling for his former club Tottenham.
The manager went on to say that he has a special relationship with all his former clubs, such as Porto, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Manchester United, but has no special connection with Tottenham.
Mourinho also added, "I hope the Tottenham fans don’t get me wrong, but the only club in my career where I don’t have still a deep feeling for is Tottenham. Probably because the stadium was empty, COVID time. Probably because Mr Levy (Spurs chairman Daniel Levy) didn’t let me win a final and win a trophy. But it’s the only one, so after that – Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid, Manchester United – all the clubs I feel a connection. Maybe people (will say) you cannot love every club – yes, I love every club."
