Mourinho told Man Utd chief Ed Woodward NOT to re-sign Ronaldo this summer (Mirror)

  /  autty

Jose Mourinho urged Manchester United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward not to sign Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.

There was the possibility of a sensational return to Old Trafford for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner but Mourinho didn't think the deal made financial sense.

He told Woodward not to splash out a £90million fee and wages of £500,000-per-week, according to the Mirror.

Ronaldo ended up leaving Real Madrid to join Juventus and will face United in the Champions League after the Italian champions and Mourinho's side were both drawn in Group H.

On facing Ronaldo in Europe, Mourinho said: 'Juventus were always a big candidate but they have transformed themselves into the biggest candidate because they don't hide that the investment they have made has been made to win it.

'I think Cristiano will like coming back as he was happy to come back when he was at Real Madrid.

'But he comes back to do a job for them, like he did for Real Madrid. He is still a top player – unless he fails to score this weekend and you tell me he is not a good player anymore!'

Part of the reason Mourinho wanted to avoid a huge outlay on Ronaldo was to use those funds to strengthen the defence.

United targeted Harry Maguire, Toby Alderweireld and even Diego Godin but failed to bring in any reinforcements.

The Portuguese is understood to be furious that club bosses refused to invest more than a total of £75m on Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant.

Those defensive woes have been emphasised by United's poor start to the campaign, conceding three goals in each of their successive defeats by Brighton and then Tottenham.

The pressure has now ratcheted up a notch on Mourinho and another loss against Burnley could spell the end of his tenure at United.

Related: Manchester United Ronaldo Mourinho
Hot comments
Download All Football for more comments