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Jose Mourinho should be angered by Phil Jones situation, says Ian Wright

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Paul Merson and Ian Wright question why Manchester United's Phil Jones took six injections to play against Germany

Ian Wright says Phil Jones having six injections for an England friendly was "ridiculous" and Jose Mourinho should be "seething" at the situation.

Jones was forced to return to Manchester United midway through the recent international break after aggravating a thigh injury against Germany.

The 25-year-old received six injections of local anaesthetic ahead of the game and was subsequently ruled out of United's win over Newcastle on Saturday - prompting criticism from Mourinho.

Former England forward Wright said on The Debate that he thinks the situation is "ridiculous".

"I think the doctors have got to take more responsibility, rather than giving a player of that calibre and a club of Manchester United's size, to get in touch and say something…That is something that has got to be discussed between them, instead of him taking six injections to play in a friendly.

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Jose Mourinho joked that he did not want Chris Smalling to regain his place in Gareth Southgate's England squad, after Phil Jones suffered an injury during the international break

"I did it in the cup final in 1994. I took three, then another three for the replay, in a week, but not in one sitting. That was bad enough, that's why I'm walking around now with a fused ankle. But at the same time I wanted to play in that final. Phil Jones has got to say, 'for a friendly?'"

"He [Mourinho] looked like he was seething and he should be."

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Wright's former Arsenal and England team-mate Merson agreed that the situation was unnecessary, but thinks Jones should have taken more responsibility.

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Highlights: Man Utd 4-1 Newcastle

"Surely he is big enough and old enough, he's playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world, and he has been around a while, surely he is old enough to say 'I can't have six injections, this is a friendly'," said Merson.

"I don't think you can blame the doctors. I have had injections before and the player has got to have agreed and said I want to play.

"Gareth [Southgate, England manager] was saying a month ago that Phil Jones is one of his main England centre-halves. If that's the case why does he have to have six injections for a friendly?

"I can understand if it's someone like Ruben Loftus-Cheek who is just getting in and is going to make their debut and trying to get to the World Cup, but Gareth is saying he is one of his top centre-halves and he's having six injections."

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