Mourinho questioned over Man Utd’s Mesut Ozil chances

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has refused to rule out a swoop for Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil.

Mourinho has been strongly tipped to make a move for the Gunners star, who looks set to leave at the end of the season when his contract at Emirates Stadium expires.

Ozil’s manager at Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, was asked on Friday if he would be interested in signing the German should he become a free agent next summer.

And he did not rule it out, simply saying: “No comment.”

While Mourinho was giving little away about Ozil, the United boss did have something to say about players running down their contracts, as Ozil and Marouane Fellaini appear to be doing.

“Sometimes players decide to go in this direction, which is the right that they have,” Mourinho said. “Players have the right to do that and I don’t blame the clubs.

“The clubs, they try. They try, they try, but the players have the right to go into this type of situation and in many times it’s good for them.”

While Ozil has been in excellent form, United striker Romelu Lukaku has endured some struggles.

The Belgian started life with his new club superbly following his big-money summer move, netting 11 goals in his first 10 United appearances, but the 11 outings since then have seen him score just once.

Mourinho said of Lukaku: “He is going to score soon, no problem. If it’s Saturday, Tuesday, next week, I don’t know but he is going to score soon.

“No problem at all. For me the most important thing is team work and he is second to none in terms of giving everything he has to the team. Scores, doesn’t score, that’s not a problem. He is phenomenal.”

The best Gunners news direct to your Facebook timeline: Like our dedicated Arsenal Facebook page.