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JOSE Mourinho has warned the United board they must target the best players if they are to reach the same level of Juventus and City.
Juve claimed a savvy 1-0 Champions League victory at Old Trafford last night through Paulo Dybala’s first-half strike and had little trouble keeping United at bay as goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny made just two saves.
The seven-time reigning Italian champions signed defender Leonardo Bonucci and former United talisman Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer, while United are not in the top 20 European clubs for transfer expenditure this calendar year.
Mourinho has spent £358.7m in little more than two years but was irked by United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward’s failure to sign his two other priority targets.
On a night where co-owner Avram Glazer made his first appearance at Old Trafford this season, Mourinho challenged the hierarchy to back him in the transfer market.
“A bit far,” Mourinho said when asked how far off United were from Juve’s level. “Juventus is champions for seven years, I think seven years in a row, two Champions League finals in the last four or five years and not happy with what they have, they want more, they want more.
“They had Higuain, Mandzukic, Dybala, they want more. They want Ronaldo. They had Barzagli, Chiellini, Rugani, they are not happy, they want more, they want Bonucci. And they go for the best players in the world.
“So big, big club with a big past but with also a big desire to have a big future and everything they put there to try to win, I don’t say the Champions League, I think to win the treble, that’s what they want.
“To go to the Juventus level? Barcelona level? Real Madrid level? How can you reach that level?”
Mourinho added to a follow-up question. “Manchester City level? How can you reach this level?
“Yes [with the best players]. Is not also easy.
“Because many of the players they belong to these top teams, so we work with what we have we try to improve with what we have. For example, today the way I say amazing Chiellini and amazing Bonucci.”