Jose to get a defender
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is set to get his wish.
After asking for Toby Alderweireld last summer, and being told no, the board are finally willing to agree on a deal.
Mourinho had been linked with several defenders, including Napoli player Kalidou Koulibaly.
Koulibaly is valued at around £90 million – a huge amount of money.
However, given the club can get Alderweireld for half the price, with his contract running down at Tottenham Hotspur, Mourinho has to compromise.
Jose Mourinho ‘given go-ahead to sign Toby Alderweireld’ as he looks to secure top-class centre back for leaky Man United defence https://t.co/QFv9YExbXm pic.twitter.com/nR2nMNNGN8
— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) December 10, 2018
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 27: Jose Mourinho, Manager of Manchester United reacts during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Manchester United and BSC Young Boys at Old Trafford on November 27, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Miles behind the rest
Mourinho may have a point about the lack of quality signings.
Had he known the club were not going to sign a defender in the summer, he may have opted not to sign Fred for £52 million.
Mourinho has made it clear Fred will play once the defence is tighter – something it is not at the minute.
Considering City were already miles ahead of them, and Liverpool went out and got world class players in, United should have seen this coming.
Mourinho clearly did, and warned the fans it would be a hard season.
Mourinho: “Time after time this season, we have made things hard for ourselves. We keep shooting ourselves with our mistakes, which is a big part of the reason we are where we are in the Premier League table. We have had bad luck at times too, as well as injuries.” #mufc [UR]
— United Xtra (@utdxtra) December 8, 2018
Forward Romelu Lukaku has also struggled this season, but Mourinho has now backed him to come good.
Mourinho: “I think Romelu’s performance improved a lot, in relation to previous matches. Not because of the goal but the way he was pressing and fighting for the team. We were a compact unit that gave no chance to Fulham in the first half.” #mufc [MU]
— Man Utd Empire (@Empire_Mu) December 10, 2018
The Red Devils may be sticking with their manager for now, but missing out on the top four puts that in a very different light.
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