Man United board blocked Mourinho from signing Tottenham star

The board of Manchester United blocked former manager Jose Mourinho from signing Tottenham star Toby Alderweireld, it has been claimed.

Mourinho was sacked as manager of the Red Devils last month after they were comprehensively outplayed by Liverpool during a Premier League encounter. Towards the end of his reign at Old Trafford, the self-proclaimed ‘special one’ was reported to have lost the trust of many of his own players, notably Paul Pogba.

Mourinho had been hoping to bolster his defensive line during last summer’s transfer window and Belgian international Alderweireld, who is regarded as being one of the best centre-backs in the English top flight, was reportedly a priority target.

However, it has since been reported that the United chiefs rejected such a move for ”tactical” reasons and that some of them were also concerned about whether Alderweireld would fit into the defensive structure of the team.

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If one thing is certain, the United board were definitely not wrong to not trust Mourinho with key decision-making. They certainly did not provide the Portuguese boss with insufficient funding over the years and after the way that Alexis Sanchez has flopped, they should certainly take precaution about making big signings, even if they are already proven at Premier League level.

Mourinho’s tactics were clearly also not working towards the end of his reign. Defensive-minded football does not suit the fabric of United.

Since Ole Gunnar Solksjaer was appointed as manager on an interim basis following the sacking of Mourinho, the club has made a marked improvement, winning five matches in all competitions.

While United are not in the title race, they can challenge for a place in the top four. They should also look to make defensive reinforcements next summer as Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly have been underwhelming in the heart of defence.

Featured image credit: Кирилл Венедиктов [CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons