JOSE POINTS TO THE TITLE
JOSE MOURINHO has delivered a tubthumping training ground address to his Manchester United players, telling them they are ready to win the Premier League.
The United manager takes his squad to Hull today having spent big on new players this summer and seen his team hit the ground running with victories against Bournemouth and Southampton.
And in a meeting at the club’s Carrington training ground this week, Mourinho has told Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Co that they don’t need any more big signings to take them back to the top of the English game.
‘Jose sat the players down and told them he was totally satisfied with his squad,’ said a United source last night.
‘He said he wasn’t looking to get any of them out of the door and that he wasn’t desperate to sign anybody else either.
‘His message was clear. Jose doesn’t think this is about getting United back in the top four, it’s about winning the league. He wants the players to believe that.’
United chief executive Ed Woodward has not yet given up on presenting Mourinho with one more player, most likely a central defender, before Wednesday’s transfer deadline.
But it is understood that the manager has told his players he is 100-per-cent happy with what he has at his disposal and they have no need to look over their shoulders.
Mourinho made sure that all the players he felt he may need over the coming months were present when he delivered his address.
One player not in the room was Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Mourinho warned the German World Cup winner publicly yesterday that he is unlikely to play again for United, even if he insists on seeing out his contract at Old Trafford.
Despite being frozen out and training with the reserves, Schweinsteiger, 32, has said he has no intention of leaving with two years left on his £160,000-a-week deal.
Mourinho conceded that the former Germany captain is within his rights to stick to the terms of his contract.
But he warned that there is no room for him in United’s 23-man squad of outfield players, and said he would rather promote kids from the academy than play him.
‘He (Schweinsteiger) has spoken to me,’ said Mourinho. ‘I cannot answer for him. He has a contract with Man United and a right to make that decision and stay. So that’s not a problem for us.
‘Bastian is not speaking a lot. He gave his last statement, which he is completely free to do in an objective and polite way.
‘I think it is very difficult for him (to play), not impossible but very difficult. We have a decision made about (Paul) Pogba, (Ander) Herrera, (Morgan) Schneiderlin, (Marouane) Fellaini, Michael Carrick. We have five players for two positions.
‘I have 23 players in the squad. I don’t want anybody to leave — 23 players are more than enough. I also have a few young players in the academy and I will be more than happy to give them an acceleration in their process.’
Mourinho has been accused of showing Schweinsteiger a lack of respect by the player’s brother and his former Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.
Bayern chief executive KarlHeinz Rummenigge also warned that Schweinsteiger’s treatment might stop other players from joining United.
But Mourinho responded to his critics by saying: ‘I thought after I read some quotes from people at Bayern Munich they would run to Manchester to bring him back. But, no, that didn’t happen.’
United, meanwhile, were handed a dreadful Europa League draw yesterday, ending with a trip deep into war-torn Ukraine in December. UEFA confirmed that United’s Group A opponents Zorya Luhansk will play their fixture against Mourinho’s side 550 miles away in Odessa due to fighting between government troops and Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.
United will also travel to Istanbul, which has been hit by terrorism and a failed military coup in recent months, to face Turkish club Fenerbahce on November 3.
Their third game will be against Feyenoord in a half-empty stadium in Rotterdam on September 15 after the Dutch team acted to prevent more bad behaviour by their fans.
“His message was clear — win the league”