Jose Mourinho has conceded Juventus, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona are out of Manchester United’s reach and warned the club’s board they will not be able to compete with those teams unless they make effort to sign world’s best players.
Mourinho has spent almost £400 million since taking over at Old Trafford in 2016 but, after seeing Juventus ease to victory on Tuesday, the manager has told his club they will have to spend more if they are serious about closing the gap.
“To go to the Juventus level? Barcelona level? Real Madrid level? How can you reach that level? Manchester City level? How can you reach this level?” Mourinho asked, almost rhetorically, before acknowledging that the only way to do so was to sign the best.
“Yes, but it is not also easy because many of the players they belong to these top teams. So we work with what we have, we try to improve with what we have. I don’t think we gave them too much respect. Juventus was in a different level of quality, stability, experience and know-how.”
Mourinho claimed United are a “bit far” off Juventus’ level and said the Italian champions’ approach in the transfer window is a lesson to his own club.
“Juventus is [Italian] champion for seven years, I think seven years in a row, two Champions League finals in the last four or five years and not happy with what they have. They want more, they want more.
“They had [Gonzalo] Higuain, [Mario] Mandzukic, [Paulo] Dybala but they want more. They want Ronaldo. They had [Andrea] Barzagli, [Giorgio] Chiellini, [Daniele] Rugani, they are not happy, they want more.
“They want Bonucci and they go for the best players in the world. So big, big club with a big past but with also a big desire to have a big future and everything they put there to try to win, I don’t say the Champions League, I think to win the treble. That’s what they want because normally they win at home. But the treble until now, unfortunately for these fellows on the other side, is our treble. But I think they are really close to it.”
However, he had nothing but praise for Juventus. “They could go to some Harvard University to give classes about how to be a central defender,” he said. “We play against one of the biggest, really biggest candidates to win the Champions League. It is a team that has everything, they have talent everywhere.”
Mourinho also said he was concerned by the form of Romelu Lukaku, who has now played eight matches without a goal. “I have to agree his moment is not sweet, not just with the goals he is not scoring but in his confidence, movement, touch, he is not linking the game well with the team but he’s our striker and a good striker and a striker we believe in,” he said.
“Could I play [Marcus] Rashford there? But then I don’t have a winger because in this moment we are in a difficult situation. He is a hard-working guy but one day the goal will arrive and the confidence will be back.”
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