Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has slammed club’s board after the Red Devils failed to secure services of a center-back.
The Special One had prioritized landing a center back during the concluded transfer window and he believes his side will now face a difficult campaign. Toby Alderweireld, Jerome Boateng, Harry Maguire and Diego Godin were among the names Mourinho targeted but the deals failed to materialize. Despite registering a 2-1 win over Leicester City on Friday night in the Premier League opener, Mourinho was not happy that issues with the squad weren’t addressed.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Mourinho was asked if the new campaign will be difficult without the signings he wanted, “Of course it will be. I think it will be a difficult season for everybody, not just for us. For us, it will be a difficult season because I had my plans, and I had my plans for many months,” he replied
“But I find myself in the beginning of the Premier League, with the market closed, I find myself in a situation that I thought I was not going to be in, but I think it’s the last time I speak about it. Maybe last time in the press conference if any of your colleagues ask about it. But over, finished, the market is closed. And no more talk about it,” he added.
The transfer deadline day came to a close and United failed to add most of the recommended signings to the squad. It could be said that the club failed the manager in particular as he presented the club with a list of players he wanted only to be rebuffed in the unlikeliest of manners.
It has been a tug of war between Mourinho and Chief Executive Ed Woodward, and the tension is not looking to boil down soon. Here are 6 players United reportedly missed out on this summer.
Toby Alderweireld
Much of United’s summer market centered around signing the Belgian. It is well known that Daniel Levy is a hard negotiator, and it came into play again when United chased Alderweireld.
He plays hardball and thrives on the long game. He is believed to have enquired about the sale of Anthony Martial – a player Mourinho would have been glad to get rid of in a player plus cash exchange.
The top hierarchy felt otherwise, they are not going to let Martial leave the club because they see him as one for the future, and they are not prepared to see their significant outlay on him go to waste.
The Belgian has been a regular performer in the league, and was instrumental to Belgium’s third-place World Cup finish in Russia. A move for the highly experienced player would have seen the club’s back-line hit a new height.
Harry Maguire
Tagged as the new revelation of English football, Maguire has become a coveted player. He was considered for the World Cup after Gareth Southgate deemed him a better player with the ball at his feet than United’s Chris Smalling, and rightly so, his selection was justified at the mundial.
Leicester rejected bids for him, making it clear that he is not up for sale. He was the backup plan to a failed move for Toby Alderweireld.
Maguire has a contract with The Foxes until 2022, and coming from an excellent World Cup performance, they were never going to let him go on a cheap. Maguire is staying with Leicester, and he will probably feature against United in the EPL opener – an exact opposite of what Mourinho had envisaged.
Raphael Varane
The defence line has been a worrying sight over time, and United failed to address the issue once again. United were prepared to complete a world record fee for a defender on or before deadline day.
The World Cup winner made his name under Mourinho at Real Madrid after a recommendation by Zidane, he also waived a chance to join United back then. For a while now, he has been linked with Manchester United, and a deal has always failed to materialize.
The addition of the World Cup winner would have been a statement of intent, and could have changed the club’s fortune on and off the pitch. The post-Neymar market is at full throttle, but Varane would have been a shrewd move by the club.
Jerome Boateng
Another Bayern player? United have not had their fair share of luck with Bayern players over the years, consider Owen Hargreaves and Bastian Schweinsteiger. This transfer is another one that was not likely to come to fruition.
Boateng is a player that has been around for a while, and he has played at the highest level – meaning he is well experienced.
His injury record over the past season has been dire. Take last season for example, he was absent for over 20 weeks of action due to hamstring complaints. That was a stumbling block in negotiation, and United were not ready to gamble on an aging player.
Diego Godin
A last minute rush could not sway the Uruguayan to move to Old Trafford. After a failed move for both Alderweireld and Maguire, their attention turned to Diego Godin in a move that already had the signs of a collapse.
They contacted Athletico Madrid, and were told the defender is not up for sale. They were keen to bolster their ranks with the effective Uruguayan, but he is due to sign a new contract or might have already signed it anyway.
United were believed to have activated his release clause only to be let down by the player himself who was not ready for a move.