Mourinho targeting Man Utd players, will get rid of his former ones in Roma

Mourinho gets his "Special One" ice-cream in Rome

Jose Mourinho is still in the headlines. Roma fans are eager to find out what changes will he made, what players will he bring and who will leave the club. The end of the season is near end they can’t wait fo the Portuguese to take over. And first rumors are here: Mourinho will target three current Manchester United players.

David de Gea and Nemanja Matic are on Mourinho’s wish list, with Juan Mata the third one. And it seems that all three are realistic targets. De Hea is already on the bench and the Red Devils are looking to offload the Spaniard this summer and get him off the wage bill. He will probably take a pay cut in order to sign with Roma, but that would almost certainly happen anyway with other clubs in Spain, so why not come to the ’Eternal city’?

To Roma, he is still Special

Nemanja Matic is so connected with Mourinho, they almost are like cousins. The 32 year old Serb has a contract until 2023 but United would not stand in his way, as he is third option in Solskjaer’s midfield. Matic will have no problem reconnecting with Mourinho, after the two worked together in Chelsea and Manchester.

Juan Mata is a player who will definitely leave Man United no matter what, as his contract is up in June. If the Spaniard doesn’t want to end his career in his native country, he could have at least two good seasons in Rome. His arrival would mean that Henrikh Mkhitaryan would probably leave the team.

(©AFP)

Speaking of the Armenian playmaker, he tops the list of players who could leave the club, for two reasons: his contract is up in June and he left Manchester United because of Mourinho. Both Roma and the player want, according to Tuttomercatoweb, to understand the attacker’s role in Mourinho’s side before he commits to another contract.

„I was not happy with his last performances. I'm not speaking about one or two, I'm speaking about three, four or five. He started the season very well and after that, step by step, he was disappearing“ said Mourinho after he benched Mkhitaryan in 2017.

Another ex Mourinho player is Chris Smalling. When Smalling wasn't able to play against Swansea in 2016, Mourinho questioned his bravery. It then emerged the defender had suffered a double foot fracture.

„I want to say some of the players were influenced by some culture issues, influenced by a situation that has been going on for a few years. There is a difference between the brave, who want to be there at any cost, and the ones for whom a little pain can make a difference. Of course, it is not just the players, it is the people that surround the players“ said Mourinho, who also made comments about Smalling’s lack of speed.

(©AFP)

Unlike these two players, Pedro and Davide Santon enjoyed their time under Mourinho and will not have to worry about his arrival.

„I like the way Mourinho works. I feel comfortable. He has a positive and winning mentality. I am delighted because I like nothing better than winning. He is very different face-to-face. He treats you like one of his family. He values and respects his players and demands much from them“ said Pedro during his time with Mourinho at Chelsea, while Santon confirmed his good relationship with the Portuguese, which treated him like his son when he was at Inter.

In the upcoming days, there will be more rumors of new players coming to play for Mourinho, but also the ones who will pack their bags.