Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho once again reiterated, if not directly, the need for the club to spend big in the transfer market if it has to challenge for the Champions League.
Addressing a press conference following United’s 0-1 defeat to Juventus at Old Trafford on Tuesday, Mourinho said it was clear his team was inferior to the best in Europe.
Taking Juventus’s example, the Portuguese said, as reported by The Guardian, “They had Gonzalo Higuain, Mario Mandzukic, [Paulo] Dybala and want more. They want Cristiano Ronaldo. They had Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, Daniele Rugani – they are not happy, they want more, they want Leonardo Bonucci and they go for the best players in the world. So, big club with a big past but with also a big desire to have a big future.”
Mourinho responded in the affirmative when asked if United also had to invest on a similar level to challenge for titles. “To go to the Juventus level? Barcelona level? Real Madrid level? Manchester City level? How can you reach this level? Yes [by buying the best players],” he was quoted as saying.
“It is not easy because many of the players they belong to these top teams, so we work with what we have and we try to improve with what we have,” he added.
Manchester United have spent nearly £400 million in five transfer windows since Mourinho joined the club in 2016, according to the report.
Mourinho said the match against Juventus was a good experience for United players, some of whom haven’t played much Champions League football. “...we work, we try to improve our players but quality is quality,” the Portuguese said.
“Juventus were at a different level of quality, stability, experience and knowhow. And, again, I repeat: quality in football is everywhere. When I say quality I don’t say just a creative player or just a beautiful player … [Giorgio] Chiellini and [Leonardo] Bonucci were beautiful, absolutely beautiful. But my boys, I’m so happy with what they did,” he added.
While Juventus bossed over United for the first 60-odd minutes, the hosts came to life in the last half hour but were unable to find the back of the net. “I think our attacking players did not have, what I say in a funny way, honey in their feet tonight,” Mourinho said. “Things were not happening but everybody tried, everyone was strong mentally and tried until the end.”
Asked why he did not make a single substitution in the match, Mourinho said, “The only attacking option I had was an 18-year-old lad [Tahith Chong] who I had never played before. You can’t expect a young kid to play, so that’s why we didn’t make any changes.”
United’s next match is in the Premier League, where they will host Everton on Sunday.