Jose Mourinho insisted “I don’t care” whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic plays again or not after revealing his sadness for the injured Manchester United striker, who faces up to nine months on the sidelines and may have played his final match for the Premier League club.

Ibrahimovic suffered a suspected ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee after landing awkwardly during United’s Europa League victory over Anderlecht last Thursday, with the initial prognosis ruling the striker out until January.

With Ibrahimovic out of contract at the end of the season and yet to agree to a one-year extension clause, doubts have surfaced over not only his future at Old Trafford, but whether he will play again should he recover as he will be 36 years old once he returns.

However, Mourinho insisted that talk of his future and the impact that his absence will have on the team is not important because he is “really sad” that the Swede has suffered such a serious injury, along with the cruciate ligament injury that has also ruled out defender Marcos Rojo for the rest of the season.

“It’s a big blow but we are really sad for them, not for us as a team because they are much more important than us and their injuries are really big,” a sympathetic Mourinho said ahead of United’s Premier League clash with Burnley on Sunday.

Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Show all 12 1 /12 Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Which United players impressed at Old Trafford, and who struggled? Man Utd via Getty Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Sergio Romero - 6 out of 10 Cannot really be blamed for Anderlecht's goal. Made some good saves, including one to deny Dendoncker's long-range drive, although was largely overshadowed by his opposite number, Ruben. Man Utd via Getty Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Antonio Valencia - 6 out of 10 Largely more effectual staying back than getting forward. Made 6 key interceptions as Anderlecht repeatedly looked to play the ball in behind him, but offered little up at the other end. Getty Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Eric Bailly - 6 out of 10 Not the easiest night for the Ivorian, who had to cope with Rojo's early substitution. Occasionally looked susceptible to the pace of Acheampong and struggled against Teodorczyk's physical threat. Getty Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Marcos Rojo - 6 out of 10 Very unlucky to sustain what looked to be a rather serious injury early on into the game. With Phil Jones and Chris Smalling already our injured, United can ill afford to lose him for long. Getty Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Luke Shaw - 7 out of 10 Impressed going forward and repeatedly got in behind the Anderlecht defence. Missed a good chance to score in the first-half. Getty Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Michael Carrick (c) - 6 out of 10 His passing from the holding midfield role impressed but struggled against Anderlecht's dynamic three-man midfield. Man Utd via Getty Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Paul Pogba - 7 out of 10 Had a couple of wild shots but, other than that, was very solid. His pass for Mkhitaryan's goal was a thing of beauty. Also won more tackles than any of his team-mates. Man Utd via Getty Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Jesse Lingard - 6 out of 10 After a vastly improved display against Chelsea, Lingard struggled against Anderlecht. Wasted a good chance in the first-half and his distribution was often poor. Subbed. AFP/Getty Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 7 out of 10 Took his goal with aplomb. Should really have added a second although he dragged his shot wide and faded as the game went on. AFP/Getty Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Marcus Rashford - 7 out of 10 United's brightest player going forward, and grabbed the winning goal with a fine finish, although he did also miss a series of good opportunities. But he held his nerve when it mattered. AFP/Getty Manchester United vs Anderlecht player ratings Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 6 out of 10 It wasn't Zlatan's night. Typically rambunctious in his forward play but Anderlecht's defence largely handled him well. Slashed wildly wide late on, with the entire goal at his mercy. Subbed off injured at the start of extra-time. AFP/Getty

“No player deserves to be injured but I think in this case it’s even more sad because Zlatan, in this stage of his career it’s really, really hard, and Marcos probably at this moment in his career is playing very well for us and also finally getting a position as central defender in the international team, so we’re really sad for them.”

Asked if he could confirm how long Ibrahimovic will be sidelined for, Mourinho said: “Yeah I know but I think it’s for the medical department to be more specific and to evaluate over the next few days to see an expert’s opinion and we have to wait and see for that.

“I don’t care about it in this moment, I just want the player [Ibrahimovic] to recover the best he can and we’ll see about it. Honestly, I’m not sad for the team, I’m not worried about the impact that not to have them [will cause].