A ball has not been kicked in anger yet, but that has not stopped Jose Mourinho from attacking Premier League rivals Jurgen Klopp and Arsene Wenger as ‘unethical’ for questioning Manchester United’s £100 million purchase of Paul Pogba.
Wenger has described the world record bid as ‘completely crazy’ while Klopp said ‘the day that this is football, I’m not in a job anymore’.
Speaking before United’s Community Shield clash with Leicester at Wembley on Sunday, Mourinho told them to mind their own business saying:
‘I don’t like to speak about other clubs or players from other clubs, other managers they like to do that and speak about my club and my players.
‘I’m very pragmatic on this. The only thing that matters for me is what happens in my house not my neighbours.
‘I already heard two of my colleagues from other Premier League clubs and I have to confess I don’t like it. It’s not ethical.
‘When others do that nobody says anything I don’t speak about the others, they can do what they want.
‘We made decisions. We brought four players, not 10, who are Man United level and can really improve the squad.
‘The others, it’s their problem they can do what they want.’
Mourinho reiterated that he hopes Pogba will be a United player by the time his team kicks off their Premier League campaign at Bournemouth a week on Sunday.
Asked if there is one more big signing on the way, he replied:
‘Yes. We have 22 now and we are going to have 23. Paul Pogba is a Juventus player until officially he isn’t.
‘We stay like this but, honestly, the market closes on August 31 but I think my club is trying to do everything to close our market before August 14. Normally next week we will have our squad closed.
‘We have four players that we think can really improve the squad and not just be one more. This is the profile of our market. A young defender that needs time to be a top one but who has top potential (Eric Bailly).
‘A creative player that we know the quality (Henrikh Mkhitaryan), a super striker (Zlatan Ibrahimovic), and we are going to get a very good midfielder.
‘We try for balance. I am happy with my squad. I am happy with the effort of the club.’
Thats the type of competitive spirit that United fans have missed seeing since Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge at Old Trafford. Mourinho is famous for creating an Us against them mentality in the dressing room, but it seems a bit early in the season to be using those tactics in the media.
