José Mourinho is adamant that he would have made different decisions regarding player departures during his tenure at Manchester United, particularly criticizing the sales sanctioned by his predecessor, Louis van Gaal.
Taking over from Van Gaal in 2016, Mourinho expressed his discontent with the club’s direction under the Dutch manager, labeling it as “sad.” He specifically lamented the departures of Ángel Di María, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez, and Danny Welbeck, asserting that he would never have sanctioned their sales.
“I think I found a sad club. Manchester United sold players that I would never sell and bought players that I would never buy, but probably when I leave a club people say that,” Mourinho stated in a 2017 interview with the BBC.
He emphasized his stance, stating, “I would never have sold [Angel] Di Maria, Chicharito, Danny Welbeck – never, no chance.”
Di Maria’s tenure at Old Trafford lasted only one season, following his high-profile £59.7 million transfer from Real Madrid. Despite wearing the iconic No.7 shirt, he struggled to meet expectations and scored just four goals before departing for Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, Hernandez enjoyed a successful loan spell at Real Madrid before permanently leaving Manchester United for Bayer Leverkusen, where he scored 59 goals during his time at the club.
As for Welbeck, a product of Manchester United’s esteemed youth academy, he transferred to Arsenal in the Premier League.
Mourinho’s criticism of these player sales under Van Gaal underscores his belief that different decisions could have been made to bolster the squad’s strength during his tenure.
While he did not disclose players he would not have bought, Mourinho oversaw significant transfers during his time at the club, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Eric Bailly.
