Chelsea vs Maribor: Jose Mourinho could turn to Didier Drogba against Manchester United – after Loic Remy injury
Remy injured himself while scoring opening goal against Slovenians
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Your support makes all the difference.Jose Mourinho has revealed that he may have to turn to veteran Didier Drogba as his main striker after Loic Remy limped out of Tuesday night's 6-0 Champions League demolition of Maribor.
With summer signing Diego Costa already on the casualty list, Remy limped out of the game with just quarter of an hour gone having earlier fired the home side into a 13th-minute lead, prompting the 36-year-old Ivorian's quicker-than-expected introduction.
Mourinho later revealed Remy would be sidelined for, at best, a couple of weeks with a groin injury.
He told ITV: "Remy has a problem in the groin. I don't know, but normally a muscular problem is a muscular problem, so..."
Asked if Drogba is now his number one frontman, Mourinho replied: "I was not expecting Didier to play so long today. I was not expecting him to play 75 minutes, but he had to come on - he was the striker on the bench.
"It was too early with the score at 1-0 with 75 minutes to go, and in the end because the game went in the right direction, Didier could be there and could improve his condition because now is about improving his condition.
"We know the player he is, we know that he can give us still a lot, so it was good for him to be on the pitch for the first time this season for a long time."
Drogba needed just a few minutes to make his mark on the game as he converted a 23rd-minute penalty to stretch his side's advantage, although that did not go down particularly well with his manager with Eden Hazard his designated spot-kick specialist.
The Portuguese said: "Yes, I was surprised. [I was] not particularly pleased because I have my choices and my choice is Eden is the first-choice and after that, Drogba and Oscar and [Cesc] Fabregas and Diego Costa are the ones in case Eden is not on the pitch.
"But because it was a goal, I am happy with that.
"We played seriously. We faced the game in the right way and even at half-time with 3-0, the boys kept playing to good speed, good quality, enjoying the game and getting three important point for us, but at the same time, a game that the fans like."
John Terry made it 3-0 before the break and Mitja Viler's own goal and a Hazard double after it completed the rout.
PA
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