Jose Mourinho: 11 Players He Signed for Manchester United and Where They Are Now

Jose Mourinho is a serial winner and has won trophies at every club he has managed, bar Tottenham. He is also a heavy spender; his total transfer spending has crossed £1 billion.

He managed Manchester United for two-and-half years, signed 11 players for over £300 million and won three trophies, including the 2017 UEFA Europa League.

Sports Brief looks at the 11 players he signed and where they are now five years after he left the club, as first analysed by Planet Football.

Jose Mourinho’s signings at Manchester United

1. Paul Pogba

Per BBC Sports, United broke the world record transfer fee to sign Pogba for £89mil in 2016. He didn’t live up to the expectations of the price tag. Last summer, he returned to his former club, Juventus, but has struggled with injuries. He is currently facing a doping investigation, which could earn him up to a four-year ban.

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2. Romelu Lukaku

One of the Special One’s most loyal players. He was signed for £75mil and has gone on to play for Inter Milan and Chelsea afterwards. He is currently working with the Portuguese boss at AS Roma, joining on loan from Chelsea.

3. Nemanja Matic

Another of Mourinho's loyal army. The Serbian midfielder played for the manager at three clubs - Chelsea, Manchester United and AS Roma. He left the Italian capital on acrimonious terms last summer and joined Rennes in France.

4. Fred

The Brazilian versatile midfielder moved to England for Shakhtar Donetsk. He did not hit the heights under the former Inter boss but excelled under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and a little under Erik ten Hag. He joined Fenerbahce in August.

5. Henrikh Mkhitaryan

United pushed the Armenian forward to Arsenal to sign Alexis Sanchez. Both transfers did not pay off for the clubs. He reunited with Mourinho in Rome, winning the UEFA Europa Conference League before joining Inter Milan.

6. Eric Bailly

The Ivorian defender is built like a player who would excel for Jose but struggled with injuries, which hampered him delivering on his potential. He endured a torrid final years at Old Trafford before joining Besiktas last summer.

7. Victor Lindelof

The Swedish centre-back is still at the club, though his relationship with the manager who signed him ended acrimoniously after he criticised the former Benfica defender’s softness. He is expected to leave the club when his contract expires in the summer.

8. Diogo Dalot

Mourinho was full of praise for his compatriot, labelling him one of the best young players in his position. He struggled with injuries in his earlier days but overcame to be a regular in the team under Erik ten Hag.

9. Alexis Sanchez

The Chilean moved to Old Trafford in the deal that sent Mkhitaryan the other way. He struggled to live up and was loaned to Inter Milan, a deal which was made permanent later. He spent last season at Olympique Marseille and returned to San Siro at the start of this season.

10. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Ibrahimovic scored 28 goals in all competitions to help the club win the 2017 UEFA Europa League. He moved to LA Galaxy after Mourinho's departure. He returned to Europe with AC Milan in 2020 and retired at the end of last season.

11. Lee Grant

A backup goalkeeper signed for £1.5mil in 2018. He played just two games for the club before announcing his retirement last year.

Mourinho's old comments on Lukaku

Sports Brief reported Jose Mourinho's old comments on Lukaku after it emerged the Belgian striker had accepted the Italian capital as his next destination.

Mourinho briefly managed the striker at Chelsea and then at Manchester United. He made a disparity between the two times and claimed despite becoming a man, there is still a kid in the man who needs love.