Jose Mourinho Planning To Play A Midfielder In Defence Against Spurs
REUTERS/Andrew Yates
Manchester United‘s transfer woes at the start of the season were indicative of a massive lack of trust between club officials and manager Jose Mourinho.
Despite Mourinho’s constant claims in the media about a need for a defensive refit, the Portuguese boss was denied the opportunity to sign any notable central defenders that he asked for.
Since the disappointment, one would have expected the Red Devils to nonetheless focus on the task at hand for the rest of the season with the squad they already possess. But that has far from been the case.
Reports of a rift between Mourinho and Executive Vice-Chairman Ed Woodward have dominated news circles around the world, and the problems were only compounded after a shambolic display by the United backline led to three goals being conceded at lowly Brighton and Hove Albion.
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The performances of central defensive pairing Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof raised several eyebrows, and in many ways validated Jose’s requirement of at least one new centre-back. But since that isn’t possible anymore, the boss is forced to look at other options.
Manchester Evening News are reporting that a change is in the offing in defence for United in the late night game against Tottenham Hotspur.
Such is the lack of confidence the 55-year-old has in his current crop of defenders, that he is considering playing midfielder Nemanja Matic in the centre-back position.
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Matic suffered an injury towards the end of last season, but played the World Cup with Serbia before heading to Philadelphia for an abdominal surgery.
The 30-year-old missed the pre-season as well as the first two Premier League matches of the new campaign, but could make a much-awaited return in a somewhat unfamiliar position.
The move is highly surprising if it does happen, since Mourinho still has the likes of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling available, with Marcos Rojo also a part of the squad. But as we already know, the ex-Chelsea boss is more than capable of pulling off a questionable stunt such as this.