JOSE IN POP AT PEREIRA
Boss blasts United bottler
JOSE MOURINHO has accused Andreas Pereira of lacking the bottle to fight for his place at Manchester United.
Pereira signed a new long-term deal with United before joining Valencia on a season-long loan.
But Mourinho reckons he has made a big mistake and should have remained at Old Trafford to scrap for a place in his team.
Mourinho is furious the Brazilian midfielder, 21, has turned his back on him for La Liga and said: “His was a personal decision that I don’t agree with, a decision I don’t think honestly is the best decision for him, a decision that disappoints me.
“He has the potential to be fighting for a position, fighting for opportunities and fighting to be a Manchester United player.
“His decision can be considered to be about a young player who wants to play every weekend, but also a young player that is not ready to fight for something difficult.
Option
“It’s difficult to play in Manchester United’s midfield. You have to be ready to fight for the position and I am disappointed he left.
“He has a long-term contract and we have the option to bring him back on January 1, so it’s not a drama, but the decision disappoints me a bit.”
Mourinho has backed the Premier League’s decision to bring forward next summer’s transfer deadline so that it closes before the new season starts.
Top flight clubs voted in favour of the change on Thursday but he reckons some smaller ones will suffer.
Mourinho, whose side face Stoke today, said: “As the head coach of Manchester United, I am in favour of that.
“I want to arrive, day one, I want to have my squad, my players, I want to work and travel with them in pre-season,
“But when the decision is not uniform around Europe and all of the championships, then we are opening a disadvantage for the English clubs.”