Manchester United are nothing like what they were a decade ago under Sir Alex Ferguson. This year marks 10 years since the legendary Scot stepped down and retired from football completely, and the decision has left United in shambles since then. Five permanent managers later, and United still don’t look like they’re ready to compete at the highest level.
With a lot of internal issues hampering the club’s progress, football director John Murtough has found himself in Saudi Arabia in a bid to negotiate deals for some dead-wood players at the club, including Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial, as Mourinho took another dig at the club’s hierarchy.
John Murtough visits Saudi Arabia amidst United’s star sell-off plans
John Murtough recently visited Saudi Arabia to discuss the potential transfers of four United players to the Middle East ahead of the January transfer window. United have to raise funds through player sales to be able to make any signings in January without falling short of the FFP requirements, and John Murtough, United’s sporting director, is on the move to make sure the club gets the best deal possible.
According to The Sun, the players in question are Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, Raphael Varane, and Casemiro. Ironically, three of these four players were signed at least two seasons ago, with Varane and Sancho joining the club in 2021 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before Casemiro joined last year.
Casemiro and Varane were two of Manchester United’s best players last season, but injury and fitness problems have hampered their progress at the club. Varane had sat a few weeks out before returning to the fold against Liverpool, where he helped United secure a point and clean sheet at Anfield, much to Virgil Van Dijk’s dismay, who claimed only Liverpool made a real effort to win the game.
Murtough will imminently leave Manchester United after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal to buy some equity in the club becomes official next year. He is spending his last few days at the club trying to ensure United gets the best deal possible for the unwanted players.
Mourinho exposes Manchester United’s retained rejects
Jose Mourinho is perhaps the most outspoken manager in football, and in a podcast appearance with John Obi Mikel, he didn’t hesitate to reflect on his time at Manchester United, where he led the club to some incredible trophies, including the Europa League and the Carabao Cup.
Mourinho would be sacked the next season following a disappointing league campaign, and the former Chelsea manager has come out to express why he thinks the Red Devils are still struggling despite changing managers three times since his departure.
“There are still people in that club, and when I say people, I mean some players,” the former Real Madrid manager said.
“But also some other people who are not players, that are still there when I told United after two months, ‘with these people, you are never going to do it’, and they’re still there,” he added.
While it’s hard to pinpoint who the Portuguese coach may be talking about, the club only has players like Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Martial from when Mourinho was the manager.
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