Jose Mourinho reveals Manchester United transfer frustrations and calls out Anthony Martial after 4-1 Liverpool loss

Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Tom Doyle29 July 2018

Jose Mourinho is downbeat over the chances of Manchester United adding two more signings before the transfer window shuts as he bemoaned the strength of his squad after being thrashed 4-1 by Liverpool.

Liverpool ran riot against United with Sadio Mane, Daniel Sturridge, Sheyi Ojo and Xherdan Shaqiri all on target in a convincing victory.

Andreas Pereira cancelled out Mane's opening penalty with a fine free-kick to leave the sides level at the break, but United faltered in the second half.

This summer United have signed Brazil midfielder Fred, former Stoke goalkeeper Lee Grant and Portuguese youngster Diogo Dalot, but Mourinho remains frustrated over a lack of recent action in the market.

In Pictures | Manchester United vs Liverpool | 28/07/2018

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"I would like two more players. I don't think I'm going to have two," he told reporters after the defeat. "I think it's possible I'm going to have one.

"I gave my club a list of five names a few months ago. I wait to see if it's possible to have one of these players."

Mourinho also revealed that midfielder Nemanja Matic will miss the start of the Premier League season after undergoing surgery following the World Cup.

With some players still away after the World Cup and Anthony Martial at home after the birth of his child, Mourinho felt his side - who next face Real Madrid on Tuesday evening - gained little from the encounter.

"We play Real Madrid and we have no more players than what we have," he told MUTV.

"Matic arrived from the World Cup, holiday, direct to surgery because something happened in the World Cup. Antonio Valencia comes from holiday - I think too much holiday for him. His condition was not good when he was back, then injury and also go back.

"Anthony Martial has the baby and after the baby is born - beautiful baby, full of health, thank God - he should be here and he is not here.

Man Utd via Getty Images

"So we have Alexis (Sanchez) and (Juan) Mata who play every minute of every match and now we have Real Madrid and after that Bayern Munich and that's our start.

"I just hope the boys on deserved holidays, they take care of themselves a little bit and I hope somebody wants to do what (Marcus) Rashford and (Phil) Jones decide to do, which is to be back a little bit earlier to try and help the team because for the beginning of the season we are going to be in trouble.

"The majority of the players that played are not going to play - some of them are not even going to belong to the squad."

He added: "I know the ones that are not always ready - sometimes you need them and you don't have them.

"Eric Bailly was injured, he shouldn't be playing, but when he saw that (Chris) Smalling in the warm-up was coming out, he made a decision by himself not to let his team play with five kids in the back against (Mohamed) Salah, Mane and company so he put himself there for 90 minutes.

"When we had gasoline we competed, 1-1 after 65 minutes, after that gasoline is gone.

"(Ander) Herrera, (Juan) Mata, Alexis (Sanchez), (Matteo) Darmian, these are the boys we have, they cannot give more. So this match was for nothing."

Additional reporting by the Press Association.

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