Mourinho claims United are title contenders

Jose Mourinho insisted Friday that Manchester
United will be contenders for the Premier League
title in his first season in charge at Old Trafford,
and criticised some of his rival managers for not
being brave enough to make the same claim.
United have not won the league title since Alex
Ferguson’s last season at the club in 2013, with
David Moyes and Louis van Gaal both failing to
mount a challenge during their spells as managers.
Finishing fifth in the Premier League last season
signalled the end of Van Gaal’s two-year stay, but
Mourinho clearly expects to do far better and has
not been frightened to make his intentions clear.
Mourinho – who won the title three times in his two
spells as manager of Chelsea – said: “We feel that
we are candidates to win the title.
“We know that not one or two or three more than
that have the same ambitions. We cannot speak
differently. We want to fight for the title.
“If at the end of the season we are not champions
because someone is better than us then great, that’s
football.
“But at Manchester United Football Club you cannot
say differently, we have to fight for the title.
“Many more think the same way as us but they are
afraid to say it. They prefer to play a defensive
game in words.
“They prefer to say or to hide or to play defensively
with the words, that’s not our way. I don’t think
that’s Manchester United. I think Manchester United
has to say we want to win the title.
“We have all the respect for the others and maybe
we don’t win, maybe we arrive end of season and
are happy to finish top four. It depends on how the
season goes.
“But in this moment when I speak to you, I speak to
my players too, and I cannot speak differently.”
– Key suspensions –
United will begin their title challenge at
Bournemouth on Sunday without world-record
signing Paul Pogba, who must serve a one-match
ban for collecting two yellow cards playing for
Juventus in last season’s Coppa Italia.
Pogba, who cost United £89m ($115.3m) to bring
back to Old Trafford for a second spell, may not
have been match-fit, having only completed his
protracted transfer last Monday, although
Mourinho admitted he was not aware of the ban
until two days ago.
Mourinho added: “I don’t speak about suspended or
injured players. I speak about the ones that are
ready to play.
“I forget about Paul for a few days and on Tuesday
he will be ready to (prepare) to play versus
Southampton (next Friday).
“I knew this situation with the yellow cards but I
didn’t know at that time if the accumulation of
yellow cards would bring a player to suspension.”
Defender Chris Smalling also misses United’s
opening game through suspension after being sent
off in last season’s FA Cup final.
But Mourinho has an otherwise fit squad to select
from. And the former Real Madrid and Inter Milan
coach said the number of wide players he has at his
disposal was behind his decision to loan Adnan
Januzaj to Sunderland, and not a falling out with
the player.
“
He fits in my plans, that’s why he’s on loan and
that why he’s on loan at a Premier League club,”
said Mourinho.
“If he doesn’t fit in my plans we don’t care about
which club and where he’s going. We just send him
to Borussia Dortmund where he didn’t play one
match.”