Jose Mourinho has claimed that Manchester United's meeting with West Bromwich Albion this weekend has been made all the more difficult due to mounting injury and suspension problems.

The Red Devils are expected to be without five key men for Saturday's Premier League clash at Old Trafford, including centre-back duo Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, who picked up injuries on international duty with England last week.

Mourinho has already made it clear that he is unhappy with the scheduling of fixtures, with the Portuguese now facing an anxious wait over the arrivals of Antonio Valencia and Marcos Rojo following their exploits in South America over the past fortnight.

"I watched Valencia's match yesterday in Ecuador, Marcos Rojo in Bolivia, but they don't arrive until Thursday afternoon," he told Sky Sports News.

"If you compare our situation with our opponents, West Bromwich Albion, only one player on international duty. They had time to work, time to rest and prepare. It's going to be hard."

United face a run of nine games in the space of a month in April, starting with the visit of West Brom this weekend.