Daley Blind and Juan Mata will be high-
profile victims of Jose Mourinho’s arrival at
Manchester United this summer, Sky Sports
News HQ understands.
Mourinho, who was shown around United’s
Carrington training ground by executive
vice-chairman Ed Woodward and Sir Bobby
Charlton on Monday, is already planning his
assault on the summer transfer market, and
has identified a number of key targets.
Neither Mata nor Blind are expected to
feature in Mourinho’s plans for the
forthcoming season as he builds a team,
which he believes, can win the Premier
League.
It is understood Mourinho would approve
the sale of both players this summer should
United receive acceptable bids, with the
expectation he can sign players to directly
replace them.
Mourinho sanctioned Mata’s sale to
Manchester United from Chelsea in January
2014 for a fee in the region of £33.5m,
despite the Spaniard being named Chelsea’s
Player Of The Season six months earlier.
At the time, Mourinho was unhappy with
Mata’s work rate and pace, and also held
doubts about the his tactical suitability for
his preferred system. It is understood he has
not changed his mind since, which in all
likelihood spells the end of Mata’s time at
the club.
Meanwhile Blind, signed by Van Gaal for
£14m in his first summer transfer window
after arriving at Old Trafford, does not fit
the physical profile Mourinho looks for in
his central defenders, deeming him also
surplus to requirements.
Mourinho has a history of signing tall, fast,
strong central defenders, such as Kurt
Zouma and Raphael Varane at Chelsea and
Real Madrid respectively. The physical
attributes of both players were seen as key
factors in their recruitment, and Mourinho
had no qualms in introducing them to the
first team at a young age.
Blind was also critical of the manner of Van
Gaal’s sacking last week, just days after
winning United’s first piece of silverware
since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club. He
claimed Van Gaal should have been given
more time in charge, making him seemingly
at odds with Mourinho’s appointment.
“I always worked well with him and would
have been keen that the co-operation lasted
longer,” Blind told reporters at the
Netherlands’ training camp in Portugal.
“Over the last six months he has not been
treated fairly. I think a manager like Louis
van Gaal, who has achieved so much
already, deserved more respect.
“Even though there was so much being
written about him losing his job over the last
months, he always looked to protect and
shelter us. It is not easy for a coach if you
are repeatedly being fired in the
newspapers.”
