José Mourinho has ruled out the possibility of Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford, claiming it would be “mission impossible” to persuade Real Madrid to sell the Portuguese star to Manchester United despite his recent troubles at the club.
Sources close to Ronaldo claim that the forward told Real Madrid last month that he wanted to leave the Spanish champions after becoming annoyed at being accused of dodging tax.
“We have not been able to find a reason that made us think that Ronaldo could leave
Prosecutors have accused Ronaldo, the four-time Ballon d’Or winner, of defrauding the Spanish authorities of €14.8 million (£12.9 million) – a charge he denies.
Ronaldo told those close to him that his preferred next destination was United, where he spent six of the most successful years of his career. The 32-year-old still has a high regard for the club and their fans, but Mourinho declared last night that there was no chance of Ronaldo heading back to United.
“We have never thought about it [signing Ronaldo] because he is too much of an important player for his club, [who are] of great economic power,” the United manager said after last night’s 5-2 win over LA Galaxy.
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“We have not been able to find a reason that made us think that Ronaldo could leave. I am not a defender in my club once you waste time on players who are mission impossible.”
Mourinho has already added one forward, Romelu Lukaku, to his squad, and he has also acquired Victor Lindelöf, the Swedish defender, but he has experienced frustration in pursuit of other targets.
Inter Milan are refusing to lower their £48.5 million asking price for Ivan Perisic, the Croatian winger, and Mourinho has accepted defeat in his bid to sign Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid, which is a source of annoyance for the United boss.
“He belongs to Madrid,” said Mourinho, who handed Morata his Real Madrid debut in 2010.
“Madrid has decided and we have not come to an agreement. It is simple. It is a shame. It is a player who made it to the first team with me.
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“We have a special liking for him, he is someone special. I enjoyed watching his evolution in Juventus and Madrid. It is like that. I don’t think he can [sign] for us.”
Mourinho hailed the performance of Lukaku even though he failed to score on his first outing in a United shirt.
“He didn’t score goals, but he played better than the ones who did score goals,” Mourinho said.
Marcus Rashford did find the net twice at the StubHub Center, much to Mourinho’s delight. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marouane Fellaini were also on the scoresheet while Giovani Dos Santos chipped in with two goals for the hosts.
The acquisition of Lukaku has raised fresh doubts about how often Rashford will play next season, but Mourinho is sure the teenager will get more game time and goals.
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“He’s learning a lot, a great pro, a great attitude,” Mourinho said of the forward, who found the net on just 11 occasions last season.
“Last season he was not scoring goals and missing a lot of chances which was not a drama because that’s part of the evolution we knew. He is going to score more goals than last season.”
Mourinho revealed Rashford had undergone a growth spurt since he was appointed manager last summer.
“He’s three centimetres taller than when I arrived 13 months ago,” Mourinho said.
“And he has put some muscle on too but without any kind of specific work because his speed is his most important quality and today it was in a different team.
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Mourinho, who started with a 3-5-2 formation and made 11 changes at half-time, will attempt to pair the two together in the future.
“We will also try both in the same team, which I think can also work,” he added.
Paul Pogba wore the captain’s armband in the second half after replacing Michael Carrick at half-time. That does not mean he is Mourinho’s vice-captain, however.
“We don’t have a vice-captain, a captain is enough,” he said.
