Jose Mourinho has been speaking about which players he wants to add in the final weeks of the summer transfer window.
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Ahead of United’s International Champions Cup clash with Barcelona in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Mourinho has been speaking to the media and earmarked the two positions where he wants to sign new players.
Via the Manchester Evening News, here’s what he had to say.
“I’m happy with my squad but I would like to have two more players, I never hide that,” Mourinho confirmed. “One player would be a midfield player that gives me more options and balance to the team and our needs. Another one an attacking player, especially that can play through the wings to give me also more attacking options. But I never speak about players that belong to other teams, I don’t like if any manager comes now and would say he would like one of my players, that’s not correct. I would like two more players but probably I only get one.”
So, there you have it.
With United linked with moves for central midfielders Eric Dier, Nemanja Matic and Radja Nainggolan, plus wingers Ivan Perisic and Marco Asensio for much of the summer, Mourinho has made it clear that time of speculation isn’t too far off the mark.
United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward flew to the USA this week and Mourinho was coy when asked if the main negotiator at Old Trafford had any transfer updates for him.
“I don’t know, honestly,” Mourinho admitted. “Ed is in control, he did Lindelof and Lukaku, he knows that I would like two more players, but he also knows that I have balance, I understand the situation, I understand the market, and if my club is unable to do two players and just one, I will accept that as a consequence of the market now. Our relation is good and I just wait for good news, and he knows for me the good news is to have the players, maybe just the player as soon as possible because to work together with the team is really, really important. But I’m calm, I like my players, I like my squad, I trust them, so I’m calm and that’s important.”
After adding Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof for a combined total of $135 million this summer, Mourinho addressed his main needs in central defense and up top.
Adding a holding midfielder would seem to be the smart play and is by far the weaker area compared to bringing in another wide player, with Ander Herrera and Michael Carrick the only two true defensive midfielders in their squad.
Out wide United have a host of options including Anthony Martial, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia.
If United, as Mourinho states, can only bring in one player then they should make signing Matic, Dier or Nainggolan a priority.