Jose Mourinho has hit out at Manchester Uniteds failure to sign a new centre-back in the summer transfer market and believes his side now face a difficult season.
The Portuguese coach had prioritised the signing of a new defender but moves for the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Jerome Boateng, Harry Maguire and even Diego Godin all failed to materialise.
United kicked off the new Premier League campaign with a win over Leicester City on Friday night, though Mourinho is unhappy that his issues with the squad were not addressed.
Asked if the new season will be more difficult without the signings he wanted, Mourinho told Sky Sports: 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.
Advertisement Advertisement
More: Football
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 its 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.
Mourinho was then probed on his relationship with CEO Ed Woodward and Uniteds transfer decision-makers, and suggested he no longer had as big a say as he would like.
Asked if he has a problem with Woodward, he continued: Thats football. Thats football management.
I think football is changing, and probably football managers should be called now more head coaches.
We have big and multi-functional coaching staff, and I think we are more the head coach than the manager. That is the way I think football is going.
In another dig at the clubs lack of spending, he added: We played against a good team. We played against a team that invested more than us. They spent more than us!
Advertisement Advertisement
So I think in the Premier League we must get used to teams that they have players the same quality that we have. Forget the name, forget the history, forget the shirts, every team is a good team and every match is difficult.
More: Manchester United FC
Advertisement Advertisement
Jose Mourinho has hit out at Manchester Uniteds failure to sign a new centre-back in the summer transfer market and believes his side now face a difficult season.
The Portuguese coach had prioritised the signing of a new defender but moves for the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Jerome Boateng, Harry Maguire and even Diego Godin all failed to materialise.
United kicked off the new Premier League campaign with a win over Leicester City on Friday night, though Mourinho is unhappy that his issues with the squad were not addressed.
Asked if the new season will be more difficult without the signings he wanted, Mourinho told Sky Sports: 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.
Advertisement Advertisement
More: Football
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 its 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.
Mourinho was then probed on his relationship with CEO Ed Woodward and Uniteds transfer decision-makers, and suggested he no longer had as big a say as he would like.
Asked if he has a problem with Woodward, he continued: Thats football. Thats football management.
I think football is changing, and probably football managers should be called now more head coaches.
We have big and multi-functional coaching staff, and I think we are more the head coach than the manager. That is the way I think football is going.
In another dig at the clubs lack of spending, he added: We played against a good team. We played against a team that invested more than us. They spent more than us!
Advertisement Advertisement
So I think in the Premier League we must get used to teams that they have players the same quality that we have. Forget the name, forget the history, forget the shirts, every team is a good team and every match is difficult.
More: Manchester United FC
Advertisement Advertisement
