Top transfer targets avoided Mourinho’s style of football

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho [COURTESY]

Jose Mourinho isn't enjoying the happiest spell of his career in charge of Manchester United at the moment, despite recording a second-place finish last season.

The Red Devils boss was flustered throughout the summer and seemingly unhappy at having to use a skeleton squad in friendly matches due to many of his first-team players representing their nations at the World Cup.

After a 4-1 defeat by Liverpool, which meant very little on the surface, he refused to defend his youth and fringe players and instead got on the defensive.

Mourinho appears bored to coach Man United [COURTESY]

"This is not our team," explained the Portuguese. "We started the game with almost half of the players who are not even going to belong to our squad on August 9. They will not be here.

"This is not our squad. Reinforcements, you mean players that I would like to buy, that's another thing, but this is not my squad. This is not even half my squad or 30 per cent of it. So don't look to this."

As for getting business done, he struggled to get deals over the line.

Manchester United did bring in Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk, and the Brazilian has started the Red Devils' first two fixtures of the season.

But the other two players Mourinho landed were youth prospect Diogo Dalot - who is currently injured - from Porto and Lee Grant from relegated Stoke City.

United went into Deadline Day desperate to sign a centre-back and were linked with every man and his dog, including Toby Alderweireld, Harry Maguire, Yerry Mina and Diego Godin.

In the end, the Old Trafford club signed none of the above but did allow defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah to go out on loan to Premier League new boys Fulham.

Manchester United got off to a winning start against Leicester City on the opening day of the new season but lost their second match against Brighton at the Amex.

The standout feature from the game was just how poor United were in defence - particularly centre-back, where Eric Bailly conceded a penalty and Victor Lindelof was rounded like a cone for Glenn Murray's opening goal.

Since the result, pressure on Mourinho has only intensified amid a claim Zinedine Zidane could replace him at Old Trafford. This claim was quickly quashed by the club, however.

Worrying rumours have also emerged, with Richard Keys telling beIN Sports: "I'm hearing players no longer want to play for Mourinho.

"Woodward did his best to persuade a number of targets to sign this summer, but they won't. They don't like Mourinho. They don't like his style of football."

Former Red Devils midfielder Lee Sharpe also claims he has heard a "little whisper" from inside the Old Trafford camp that Mourinho is merely picking a first XI and not clearly outlining what he wants to see from his players.

He told talkSPORT: "Mourinho is on trial again. He's never looked happy since he's been at the club. There just seems to be no plan at Man United. Nobody seems to know where they should be going and what they should be doing.

"I've heard a little whisper to say the manager is not really giving them a lot of instruction before games. He's just picking the team and letting them get on with it.

"It seems to me that he hasn't got the players in that he wanted this summer, and he's gone into a bit of a sulk. He's just let the players crack on and do their own thing."

Mirror Football's Manchester Football Correspondent David McDonnell has also exclusively reported that Mourinho is said to have told friends he would have quit any club other than Man United by now.

The Old Trafford boss is becoming increasingly frustrated by what he sees as a lack of backing from United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, as he prepares to beat Man City to the title.

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