Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane admitted Manchester United were interested in his services.
The France international arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2011, when Mourinho was still in charge of the LaLiga giants.
Varane has been linked with a potential switch to United and the 24-year-old confirmed there had been interest from the Premier League club.
Asked on El Larguero if he had been called by Mourinho to go to United, Varane said: No, not directly.
There were contacts, but not directly.
Varane also had praise for a United star in Romelu Lukaku, lauding the Belgium striker for how difficult he made life for opponents.
While he pointed to the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, Didier Drogba, Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski, Varane …
Chris Smalling believes Manchester United s injury crisis has abated at the perfect time as they prepare for an FA Cup semi-final with Everton on Saturday.
Louis van Gaal s squad has been decimated by long-term fitness problems, which have contributed to the derailing of their Premier League and European campaigns, but the majority of the first team has now been welcomed back.
Captain Wayne Rooney returned from a knee problem in the quarter-final replay win over West Ham, meaning Bastian Schweinsteiger (knee), Luke Shaw (leg) and Adnan Januzaj (hamstring) are the only major concerns for United ahead of their trip to Wembley.
And with his side having won five of their last six matches in all competitions, keeping four clean sheets in that time, Smalling is hopef…
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has led the Blues to the top of the Premier League table
Premier League leaders Chelsea host Stoke City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, in a game many believe will be a one-sided spectacle by fulltime.
The contrasting form of the two clubs sees the Blues as big favourites to come out on top to continue their winning streak and potentially extend their lead at the summit, so is this weekend’s clash a foregone conclusion?
Chelsea making light work of bottom-half opposition
Chelsea aren’t top of the Premier League table by accident. Antonio Conte’s men have earned the right by avoiding slip-ups to sides they’re favourites to beat. The Blues have dropped just two points from nine games against the bottom-half club…
The Wembley arch is unlikely to be lit in support of campaigns and causes or to mark tragic events in the future.
The Football Association faced criticism last month – including from the Cabinet minister responsible for sport – after a decision was taken not to light the arch in the colours of the Israeli flag following attacks on its citizens by Hamas militants.
The Israeli government has said 1,200 people were killed in the attacks.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said on October 19 that his organisation would review its approach to lighting the arch, and the PA news agency understands it is now unlikely to be lit in future except for matters directly related to Wembley’s purpose as a sport and entertainment venue.
It is understood this will al…
Michael Carrick has confirmed former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is the latest star name to commit to his testimonial next week.
A Manchester United 2008 XI will take on a Carrick All-Star team at Old Trafford on June 4.
Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are among the former players lining up for United in a team that will be managed by Alex Ferguson.
And Carrick has revealed Gerrard, who made a Liverpool return in a post-season friendly victory over Sydney FC this week, will be one of the All-Star players trying to get one over United, resuming the many battles he had with the club in his playing days.
He will join the likes of Frank Lampard, Robbie Keane, Eric Abidal and Gaizka Mendieta in a team …
Despite falling out of the Champions League, Lewandowski says the marked improvements with Xavi s side are already noticeable.
I think that even in a few months, you can see the progress we ve made at Barcelona, he continued. At the beginning of next year, we can show our better performances, and we can grow up as a team.
Even next season will be much better, and we ll have more stability. In football, you can win a lot in a short amount of time. We ve had a lot of injuries and as a result we lost a lot of stability.
In that sense, we haven t had much luck. In just a few weeks we lost a lot of players. Then, when you consider we also had to play a new system with a new set of players, it made things even more difficult.
But now we ve learnt from this…
Speaking to German outlet Bild, Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has confirmed the signing of Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax has been completed.
Ryan has signed. We ve completed the deal and we re very happy, he said.
He s one of the biggest talents in Europe, everyone was after him.
Indeed, reports coming from all over Europe throughout the last few months claimed the 20-year-old midfielder, who prefers a central playmaking role but is also capable of acting as a shield for the back line with his 6 2 frame, was being monitored by top clubs in all the major leagues. Barcelona were specifically mentioned, as were Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United.
Gravenberch is a product of the famous Ajax academy which has produced so many top pl…
Marco Silva may be denied the chance to manage in another Merseyside derby.
Everton chiefs will reportedly begin the week with frank talks over the under-pressure Portuguese s future and could choose to sever ties.
The Toffees are due to head to Anfield on Wednesday, fresh from the late 2-1 loss to Leicester City that left the 42-year-old hanging on by a thread.
TOP STORY – SILVA ON CUSP OF EVERTON SACK
After close to a season and a half in charge, Everton boss Silva could be relieved of his duties on Monday.
Various UK newspaper reports indicate his position will be discussed at a meeting of executives two days out from the midweek clash with bitter rivals Liverpool.
Silva took charge in May 2018 and guided the Goodison…
In a live event with SportBild, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was asked about the possibility of the world seeing Borussia Dortmund s Jadon Sancho in the famous red shirt next season.
The German, who led Dortmund to consecutive Bundesliga titles and a Champions League final before joining Liverpool in 2015, said he believes the winger would look good in Liverpool red and described him as a very interesting player, but he doesn t think his move to Anfield will happen this summer. It would surprise him if it does.
Sancho has shown true quality on the right attacking flank since his move from Manchester City to the Signal Iduna Park in 2017, with his pace and trickery giving many defenders nightmares. Consequently, his future has been a subject of much speculation in the …
I have to think about what makes the most sense over the winter. I can see myself in Turin, but the situation must change, he said.
Those are the words of Juventus midfielder Emre Can who has made it clear that leaving Juventus is a serious possibility for him, regardless of whether or not it takes place in the January or summer transfer window. Can has been unable to break his way into the Old Lady’s first team plans on a consistent basis, leading to him looking elsewhere for a potential switch.
Bayern Munich have already made their interest known with Manchester United also waiting in the wings, whereas Juventus haven’t really made any sort of sustained move up to this point that would see him stay on the books.
Can has been playing at the highest l…