Following Manchester United’s defeat to Juventus in the Champions League, José Mourinho stated his side are below the Italian club and other continental heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City, because of a difference in recruitment. The Portuguese, though, has had five windows to build his squad since taking over in the summer of 2016, signed 11 players at a cost of £360m at a net outlay of £285m.
Is his complaint that United have not backed him enough valid? Or is the issue too many dud buys from the 55-year-old? Here we go through them one by one …
Eric Bailly – £30m
Signed from Villarreal, June 8, 2016
Bailly was Mourinho’s best center-back in his debut season yet has since lost his way. The manager claimed he did not feature at the end of last season as the Ivorian was not “fighting for a World Cup place”. An odd reason. Rating 5/10
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – free
Signed from PSG, July 1, 2016
The Swede walked his (at times) outlandish talk where it matters: on the pitch, returning 28 goals in 52 appearances though a serious knee injury towards the end of his opening season effectively ended his United career. Just seven more outings followed before departing for LA Galaxy in March. 8/10
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – £30m
Signed from Borussia Dortmund, July 6, 2016
The reigning Bundesliga player of the year when joining, Mkhitaryan was pulled off at half-time of his debut in the Manchester derby and subsequently dropped: an augury of what ensued throughout his 18 months at the club before being swapped for Arsenal’s Alexis Sánchez. 5/10
Paul Pogba – £89m
Signed from Juventus, August 9, 2016
The Frenchman, bought to be the superstar in Mourinho’s United, is proving a disappointment. At £89m the manager thought he was acquiring a week-in, week-out A-list performer yet instead Pogba turns it on around once every four or five matches, which is not good enough. 5/10
Victor Lindelöf – £30m
Signed from Benfica, June 14, 2017
Like Bailly, the Swede has been in and out of the XI since Mourinho signed him and this caused Ed Woodward to question the manager’s wish to pursue one of Jérôme Boateng, Harry Maguire or Diego Godín last summer. Were they, the executive vice-chairman reasoned, actually any better than the players United had? 5/10
Romelu Lukaku – £75m
Signed from Everton, July 10, 2017
The center-forward scored 27 in 51 appearances in his debut campaign for United, while also returning 10 in 11 for Belgium in a World Cup year. He may now be feeling the pace and Mourinho admitted concern over his form on Tuesday. 7/10
Nemanja Matic – £40m
Signed from Chelsea, July 31, 2017
Now Ibrahimovic has left Matic as the sole Mourinho signing who can be rated an unqualified success. The Serb is a classic water-carrier-type midfielder who allows others to perform, and offers consistent 8-out-of-10 displays his manager must wish Pogba or Alexis Sánchez would return. 8/10
Alexis Sánchez – swap deal for Mkhitaryan
Signed from Arsenal, January 22, 2018
Mourinho believed a coup was achieved when the Chilean rejected neighbors City for United yet Sánchez has been a near-disaster, failing to contribute a strike-ratio comparable to the 18 league goals Raheem Sterling managed last term. He is also lacking touch, guile and any kind of presence. 3/10
Diogo Dalot – £19m
Signed from Porto, June 6, 2018
The full-back was impressive on debut against Young Boys in United’s opening Champions League match but is again unavailable, having arrived from Porto in recovery from a knee problem. Given Antonio Valencia’s advancing years – he is now 33 – Mourinho will hope Dalot does not prove as injury plagued as Phil Jones. 5/10
Fred – £47m
Signed from Shakhtar Donetsk, June 21, 2018
The midfielder follows Lindelöf last year and Mkhitaryan the previous one: a Mourinho summer signing who the manager seems unsure of. United went behind in the 17th minute against Juventus yet when fresh energy was needed to try and turn the contest, Fred’s 25-year-old legs were not called upon. 5/10
Lee Grant – £1.53m
Signed from Stoke City, July 3, 2018
The 35-year-old was bought as a No. 3 yet had a surprise debut in September’s Carabao Cup tie with Derby County when Sergio Romero was sent off. Was accomplished before the penalty shootout, Grant being unable to prevent the Championship side prevailing 8-7. 5/10
The Guardian Sport
