Five shortlisted as Mourinho admits Man Utd want new midfielder

Jose Mourinho has confirmed Manchester United will sign a new midfielder this summer as they look to fill the void left by the retiring Michael Carrick.

The United boss has already made no secret of his desire to bolster his central midfield areas this summer, having ruled out bringing in more attack-minded players.

It’s reported Mourinho has five players on his shortlist and it’s hoped the signing of one of these men can help bring out the best in Paul Pogba, who has held clear-the-air talks with the United boss after some stuttering form in recent weeks.

When asked about possible new recruits when the transfer window reopens, Mourinho said: “We need to sign a midfield player because we are going to lose Michael Carrick.

“Of course we need balance in the team and I said that months ago. You can accuse me of many things but you cannot say I lie to you.

“When I don’t want to say things, I don’t say, but I don’t take you in other directions. So I told you we don’t want to sign any strikers or wingers, and yes we are looking for a midfield player.”

According to reports, Mourinho has a shortlist of five players with the Manchester Evening News claiming Napoli’s Jorginho, Nice’s Jean-Michael Serri and Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are all wanted, while other reports have name-dropped Julian Weigl of Dortmund and Barcelona’s Andre Gomes.

 

Of the quintet, it’s believed Mourinho has Nice midfielder Seri at the top of his wanted list and United scouts have made regular checks on him in recent weeks ahead of a possible summer bid.

One man who will benefit from Carrick’s retirement is Scott McTominay, and the United club captain has been especially impressed with the form of the academy graduate.

The former England star said: “Scotty has done great. I know he’ll take my place some day and that’s not something I would be afraid of.

“It’s my responsibility to do all I can to help him. It’s something I really enjoy, to see the younger lads coming in and getting a chance.”

 

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