Manchester United’s board blocked Jose Mourinho’s attempts to sign Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng over the summer, according to BBC Sport.
The broadcaster claim on their website that the United hierarchy were unimpressed that the Portugese was keen to recruit a player with ‘dodgy injury record’ and vetoed the pursuit.
BBC Sport report the Premier League giants have made it clear both privately and publicly they want to sign world-class players and blend them with top academy products.
“This was why Mourinho’s demand to bring in an experienced defender with a dodgy injury record and little resale value in Jerome Boateng was blocked in the summer,” the broadcaster explain.
OPINION
With a CV that includes a World Cup, Champions League and six German titles, Boateng is a player of real stature. He has been a key man for club and country since joining Bayern Munich seven years ago following a difficult year at Manchester City in which he failed to settle. But, as the United board are only too aware, Boateng blew out 30 candles on his birthday cake earlier this money and throwing a massive contract at a player with limited sell-on value and a poor recent injury record makes little business sense. It is easy to see why Mourinho wanted Boateng’s experience and class to shore up a defence that is short of a top-class centre-back, but the Portugese has bought too many average defenders since his 2016 arrival to be trusted with the funds to make another mistake. Boateng made just 19 league appearances for Bayern last season and is in and out of the starting XI these days. Maybe United dodged a bullet on that one.