Juan Mata and Daley Blind don’t feature in Jose Mourinho’s plans at Manchester United, according to Sky Sports.
The report suggests Mourinho would be keen to sell the players if the club receives acceptable offers for them, as neither Mata nor Blind fit the profile the Portuguese manager looks for in his players.
Mourinho selling Mata wouldn’t be a surprise, as he’s already done it before. The Portuguese sold Mata to United in January 2014 when he was in charge of Chelsea, because he was reportedly unhappy with the Spaniard’s lack of pace and physical strength. Mata was voted Chelsea’s Player of the Season just 6 months before Mourinho sold him to United, as the Portuguese favoured Oscar over him.
Mourinho is not believed to have changed his mind about Mata and it seems like the 28-year-old former Valencia player could be on the move this summer.
The newly appointed United manager is also thought to be willing to let Blind go, as the Dutchman doesn’t really offer enough pace, strength, height and physicality to be considered as a centre-back option under Mourinho.
Blind was one of the first names on the team sheet under Van Gaal and made 56 appearances in all competitions this season. Despite doing well enough next to Smalling, Blind was criticized for his lack of positional awareness, pace and physical presence. It looks like Mourinho has also identified Blind’s weaknesses and wants to sign a new centre-back this summer.
United have been linked with many defenders and attackers since Mourinho’s appointment and that could be perceived as a sign of the manager’s unhappiness towards the team’s current options.
