Jose Mourinho does not intend to make any attacking reinforcements this summer as Alexis Sanchez’s acquisition means the Manchester United manager now feels he has the components to flourish.
The Portuguese made the surprising – albeit realistic – admission on Friday that table-topping Manchester City’s lead was insurmountable, with second spot the best his side could manage.
United are 13 points behind Pep Guardiola’s men with 12 matches remaining and Mourinho intends to use the rest of the campaign as a catalyst for an improved Premier League title charge next season.
The Old Trafford giants will no doubt be active in the transfer market to aid those hopes, but the Portuguese had pledged not to sign any attackers having made Alexis Sanchez his latest attacking recruit.
Put to him Sanchez played a lot of different positions in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat of Huddersfield, Mourinho responded: “Exactly that’s the point, that’s the objective.
“The objective is that now we have more number nines (fitted into the side).
“We have Alexis, we have (Romelu) Lukaku, we have (Anthony) Martial, we have (Marcus) Rashford.
“Rashford can play on the left and the right, Alexis is exactly the same.
“All of them apart from Lukaku can play also from behind, they can also play as the second striker.
“That’s why I say that it’s bad for you because you like to have things to write and things to 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 (Juan) Mata, Lukaku, Rashford, Martial, Alexis – I don’t want attacking players, so speculation in the summer you have to go to other areas.
“But attacking players I am really happy.
“We have to improve not in the quality of the players, we have to improve in the dynamic of the team and in the efficiency because even (Saturday) it is a game to score more goals than two.”
Ibrahimovic, Lukaku, Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan – now at Arsenal – have all arrived to bolster United’s attack since Mourinho’s appointment in 2016.
Paul Pogba remains the biggest deal since the Portuguese succeeded Louis van Gaal, with the midfielder returning from Juventus for a then world-record fee.
The France international has shone this season but a poor display in the midweek defeat at Tottenham was followed by dropping to the bench against Huddersfield.
“The reaction you saw: coming to the pitch with great desire to play,” Mourinho said of Pogba’s response.
“To be honest, at half-time he was already – because I can analyse body language – showing that he was ready.
“Ready with physio, he was already starting his warming up, so I think he showed the way he took it in a very professional way.”
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