Manchester United appear to have missed out on the potential signing of Monaco right-back Fabinho according to L’Equipe, after the 22-year-old put pen to paper on a new deal last month. The Brazilian told the French newspaper that he had the opportunity to move to Old Trafford but did not make the move, revealing:
“I could have already done it, but I’m under contract here. I feel good here. I’m an important player in one of the best teams in the league.”
Jose Mourinho will be gutted by missing out on the player who he managed at Real Madrid previously, giving the full-back his debut in Spain. Now, sights will set elsewhere as Mourinho remains unconvinced by the performances of Antonio Valencia in a defensive role despite his steady displays to date.
Mourinho will be buoyed by his team’s performance and result yesterday evening though, as the Red Devils overcame Turkish outfit Fenerbahce by four goals to one, with ex-United man Robin Van Persie also on the scoresheet. The boss was pleased by the performance, saying:
“I chose this team because I felt it was the one to win, because after such an intense game on Monday I felt that some of these players would be in better condition to perform. I will start thinking about Chelsea tomorrow. Am I happy with the performance? Yes. Happy with individual performances? Yes. I am happy with the result as well which is the most important thing, because the group is difficult.”
The manager also reserved special praise for £89 million midfielder Paul Pogba, who scored twice, saying:
“This is England. This is English football. One day you are phenomenal and the next you are really bad. We know how good he really is and especially me, along with other football people, know that every top player needs time to adapt to a new league.”
Another piece of good news for the club is that young defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah has put pen to paper on a new contract which will keep him at the club until 2020, claim the Mirror. The 18-year-old has twelve first team appearances to date after being given a debut by Louis Van Gaal last season and shown versatility and quality beyond his years.
Now, Fosu-Mensah will focus upon stepping up to the next level having struggled to make much of an impression to date under Jose Mourinho. There is clearly belief that he can succeed though, given his new deal, but he must now prove himself to earn a place in the squad.
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