Hilario may be on bench as striker

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LONDON, England -- Chelsea are so short of players for Saturday's FA Cup final they may be forced to use goalkeeper Hilario as a substitute striker, manager Jose Mourinho said.

Mourinho, who has spent millions to bring in new players but insists on working with a "manageable" size squad, said he was down to 15 fit men for the Wembley showdown with double-chasing Manchester United.

Mourinho suffered his latest blow when midfielder John Obi Mikel was ruled out with a hamstring injury picked up in Sunday's final Premier League game, a 1-1 home draw with Everton.

Michael Ballack, Andriy Shevchenko, Ricardo Carvalho, Arjen Robben and teenage striker Scott Sinclair were already definite absentees while full-back Ashley Cole is still doubtful.

"Maybe if Ash is ready we have 15," Mourinho told Chelsea TV.

"The reality is that for a final we do not have 16 players. It's not a good picture.

"For the bench maybe Hilario, he's not bad as a forward, or I'll have to bring one of the kids in."

Portuguese keeper Hilario, 31, joined the club last July and made 18 appearances between October and January - in goal - following injuries to Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini.

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