Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Manchester United are done with transfer dealings in January, not expecting to do any business before Tuesday’s deadline
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney are all set to remain at Old Trafford until at least the end of the season, with the Red Devils having already completed all their business dealings for the January transfer window.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the visit of Hull City to Old Trafford on Wednesday, Mourinho emphasised that with fixtures set to pile up from February Manchester United cannot afford to let any player leave in the winter transfer window.
When quizzed in particular about the possibility of Wayne Rooney and Ashley Young, who have been heavily linked with moves away from Old Trafford, Mourinho emphatically declined, saying that they are staying.
The Manchester United boss said: “Yes. We don’t have players in, we don’t have players out. Young is definitely staying. He is selected for tomorrow. He stays with me until the end of the season.
“You can say Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin didn’t play a lot, but the reality is that they played some matches and when they played others didn’t and were rested.
“We have the Manchester City match postponed, we have the Blackburn Rovers match (in the FA Cup) and if we win we will have another match to be postponed. We are in the Europa League competition with more matches, so our situation is really difficult. We lost two players and we can’t lose any more.”
Ashley Young looked to be on the way out of Manchester United, after Mourinho admitted in the aftermath of the FA Cup win over Hull City last weekend that the Englishman could leave before the transfer deadline slammed shut on Tuesday.
Young has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford and has struggled for game time this season. Having started only two Premier League games thus far, he has grown frustrated at the lack of first team opportunities coming his way, he recently stated that he was desperate for a loan move.
The likes of Chinese side Shandong Luneng as well as a host of other Premier League clubs like West Bromwich Albion, Watford and West Ham United were also reportedly vying for his signature. However, Mourinho’s comments should put rumours linking him with a move away from Manchester United to bed.
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney’s future has been mired in speculation in recent months, as the England skipper has been heavily linked with a move to the Chinese Super League with Beijing Guoan rumoured to be preparing a deadline day swoop for him.
Rooney has achieved everything with Manchester United, winning every club title as well as becoming the club’s all-time leading goalscorer. However, poor form over the last few seasons mean that he is now a pale shadow of his majestic best.
Rooney has also lost his place in the first team, and he is no longer one of the first names on the Manchester United team sheet. However, Mourinho has confirmed that he still remains a part of his plans and a move before the summer is not happening.
With Manchester United still participating on all four fronts this season, the fixtures will start piling up soon and the Red Devils will be forced to play three games every two weeks. While Rooney still features prominently from the bench in the league, Young’s services will definitely be needed in some cup games.
