Jose Mourinho rues Manchester United transfer 'situation' as he predicts more clubs will adopt Arsenal's management structure

Man Utd via Getty Images
Standard Sport10 August 2018

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho admitted his transfer plans this summer were at odds with those of the club’s hierarchy, suggesting his job title should be “head coach” rather than manager.

Mourinho had hoped to bring in another centre-half during the summer transfer window following the arrivals of Fred, Diogo Dalot and back-up goalkeeper Lee Grant.

Deadline day passed without incident at Old Trafford, however, with a number of reports subsequently claiming the manager’s transfer targets had been vetoed by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.

Speaking after his side’s season-opening 2-1 victory over Leicester City, Mourinho admitted he had found himself “in a situation I didn’t think I would be in” when quizzed on the club’s lack of transfer activity.

In Pictures | Manchester United vs Leicester City | 10/08/2018

1/34

“It will be a difficult season for everybody not just us,” Mourinho told Sky Sports. “It'll be difficult because I have my plans but I find myself in a situation that I didn't think I'd be in.

"It's over, the market is closed and no more talk about it.”

Two of United’s immediate rivals in Arsenal and Chelsea now adopt more continental club models with Unai Emery and Maurizio Sarri serving as head coaches, with the traditional managerial role epitomised by Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger now abandoned.

In what appeared to be a clear swipe at the United hierarchy, Mourinho suggested the club should perhaps adjust his title accordingly in light of what unfolded this summer.

"That's football management," he added.

Getty Images

"I think football is changing and probably football managers should be called head coaches.

"I think we're more the head coach than a manager.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in