The sands of time are running down on the Old Trafford careers of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, claims the Daily Mirror, with the paper reporting that a “frustrated” Jose Mourinho plans to offload the defensive duo in the summer.
It’s not the first time the two defenders have been linked with a move away from United, but despite the rumours last year Mourinho persisted with Smalling and Jones in the hope they would adapt to his way of thinking. That hasn’t happened, however, and the Mirror says that Sunday’s defeat at St James' Park “exposed their underlying vulnerability at the back”.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It hasn’t gone unnoticed at United that their two biggest rivals, Liverpool and Manchester City, forked out £75m and £57m on centre-backs Virgil van Djik and Aymeric Laporte last month, and consequently Mourinho has told the United board that “they must start spending big on defenders”.
The Mirror says that one name on Mourinho’s summer shopping list is Leicester City and England defender Harry Maguire, and a £50m bid is likely to arrive at the King Power Stadium the moment the transfer window opens.
Additionally, it’s claimed that United scouts have been keeping an eye on France centre-half Raphael Varane. Currently with Real Madrid, he is one of the players expected to be a victim of the summer clear-out at the Bernabeu.