Manchester United’s issues on the right-hand side of attack have been well known for some time, as is their desire to bring in a forward on that side of the pitch to play alongside Romelu Lukau and Alexis Sanchez. In terms of targets, few names have been mentioned; Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic has reportedly been considered, despite the club giving up on a deal to sign the Croatian last summer due to the fee required by the Italian club, and Chelsea’s Brazilian international Willian is also said to be on United’s radar.
But the former Shakhtar Donetsk man has publicly spoken about his desire to
“I always told him [Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri] I’m really happy playing for Chelsea,” Willian told Hayters in quotes carried by the Manchester Evening News. “I never talk about me leaving the club, this is a new era with the new boss and out first conversations have gone really well and I hope to have a lot of victories for us.
“This is just the beginning. I’ve been only in three training sessions. We have a new season, with a new philosophy, a new style of playing with a new manager, everything is new for everyone but this team has everything to improve in all aspects. The people know we have a lot of competitions to play. If we work hard we can achieve a lot of things.
Willian’s comments certainly seem to slam the door on any potential move to Old Trafford, if a transfer was even being discussed between the two clubs. At this stage, with the transfer window closing in several days and no serious or credible suitors for Anthony Martial, it feels unlikely that United will strengthen in attack this season. Still, should Alexis Sanchez display something approaching his best form in his first full season for the club since joining from Arsenal last January, then there’s a chance that Mourinho may get the boost that this forward line clearly needs.
