José Mourinho is relaxed about speculation surfacing in South America suggesting both his goalkeepers could leave Manchester United at the end of the season, insisting he expects David de Gea and Sergio Romero to stay.
Romero is a target for Boca Juniors in his native Argentina, while sources in the same country seem convinced De Gea’s move to Real Madrid will be back on this summer. “I want them both to stay,” Mourinho said. “I could not ask for a better goalkeeper or a better replacement and I expect these reports will turn out not to be true. The world of football media these days is full of lies – anyone can write a blog – and we tend not to worry about this sort of speculation any more because in most cases it is untrue.”
United visit Stoke on Saturday afternoon, where Mourinho knows exactly what to expect. “They can play direct but they have quality as well,” the United manager said, a description which could apply almost equally well to the rejuvenated Marouane Fellaini.
The much-maligned midfielder has been booed on occasion by his own supporters this season but is now appreciated again by fans and manager.
The adaptable Belgian is the perfect option to take to Stoke, whether as a starter or impact substitute. Mourinho is aware that Mark Hughes is trying to refine the perception of Stoke as long-ball or set-piece specialists but a player of Fellaini’s height and physicality will always be useful if Peter Crouch is among the options for the opponents.
“Marouane is doing well – he is a player that can be very useful,” Mourinho said. “I am not surprised the supporters are back in his favour because he has been putting in some good performances. The crowd can recognise his contribution, he is a player that can offer several different things. He can be defensive or offensive, he can be an extra man at set pieces and he can be dangerous in the opposition box. He has a good understanding of the game and now I know him a bit better I think we are seeing more of what he can do. It is not my job to individualise, though, the whole team is playing well at the moment. We are in a stable period.”
So stable in fact United are unbeaten in their past 10 matches in all competitions, their six-match winning run in the league having come to an end with last week’s draw against Liverpool.
“This is a good situation to be in, but we will not be going to Stoke thinking about the unbeaten run,” Mourinho said. “I don’t care about records and runs, what I want is to win matches. Stoke are the sort of team who can punish you if you are not careful, they are a good team with good players and their midfield is strong. I think Mark is trying to change the dynamic of the team and you can see the influence he is having.”
Mourinho paid tribute to Memphis Depay following the winger’s £16m move to Lyon, claiming the Dutchman never stood a chance at Old Trafford because there were so many wide players ahead of him and suggesting the perception he is more interested in flash cars and snappy dressing is false.
“Memphis is a fantastic professional, it would be wrong for anyone to say or think otherwise,” he said. “I know people have an image of him in an amazing car or dressed in a certain way but that image is totally wrong. He worked hard to get a chance at this club and I have only good things to say about him.”
Depay joined United in 2015 for £25m but lost his place in the side even before Louis van Gaal departed. United could recoup up to £21m from Lyon in add-on clauses and have even inserted a buy-back option into the deal. “He is still young and potentially a very good player,” Mourinho said. “I think Mr Van Gaal did well to buy him and it is important the club has managed to keep some control of his talent. Everyone here liked him, the only problem was that as a winger we have seven players for two positions. Even when I was trying to rotate and rest some players I found it difficult to give him game time. Basically, I have six possibilities, including Wayne Rooney, in front of him for those positions.”
Mourinho stressed that Depay, like Morgan Schneiderlin, was allowed to leave because good offers came in. “I wasn’t looking to offload anyone,” he said. “But Lyon and Everton made good offers, they fought to secure the players they wanted. When that happens it would not be human to stand in their way. Players need game time and we allowed them to go because the right offers arrived. It would be wrong to do anything else when the offer is correct.”
Mourinho has not ruled out bringing anyone in this January, though he obviously does not need any wingers. “There are a few positions where we don’t have so many options,” he said. “I always think summer is the best market for signing players, January is more like the emergency one. We are comfortable for numbers in most positions but if we stay in the cups, and I hope we do, it will put more demands on the squad.”
