Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has articulated what specific type of business the club will be doing this upcoming summer transfer window now a couple of times. Yesterday Mourinho said that United will not be buying attacking players come summer time.
They just completed a very productive January transfer window by acquiring star forward Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal, so the Portugese sees no need to focus on adding to that position group. As Mourinho said on January transfer window deadline day, the club will prioritize central midfield targets in the summer.
United will need to find a replacement for club captain Michael Carrick, who is likely to retire and potentially Marouane Fellaini, whose contract situation remains unresolved. Jean Michael Seri at Nice is one of the players who has been linked to United as a possible summer transfer window target.
Forwards and strikers are of course the most expensive position group, and thus command the most media coverage. The goal scorers are what sells tickets and grabs ratings. However, Mourinho said he’s done adding to attack, with the acquisition of Alexis. Even is Zlatan Ibrahimovic moves on once his one year deal is done, Old Trafford won’t be looking for reinforcements in the final third.
“We have Alexis, Lukaku, Martial, Rashford,” Mourinho said.
“Rashford can play on the left and the right, Alexis is exactly the same. All of them apart from Lukaku can play from behind as the second striker that’s why I say that it’s bad for you because you like to have things to write and speculate, especially in the summer, but I don’t want attacking players so don’t speak about attacking players that are coming here because nobody is coming here.”
“We have Mata, Lukaku, Rashford, Martial, Alexis, I don’t want attacking players,” Mourinho continued.
“Speculation in the summer you have to go to other areas, attacking players I am really happy. We have to improve not in the quality of the players. We have to improve in the dynamic in the team.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune corporation blogging community Chicago Now.
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