Jose Mourinho and Ed Woodward failed to see eye-to-eye (Picture: Getty)

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward admits the club overruled Jose Mourinho on ‘one or two’ of the Portuguese’s transfer targets.

The 56-year-old was sacked last December after a disastrous start to the season in which his relationship with the club and the board became irreparable.

A woeful transfer window set the tone for Mourinho’s torrid third term at the club and he blamed his side’s form on the club’s failure to buy a centre-back.

Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant were the only acquisitions but Mourinho was desperate for the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Harry Maguire to be recruited.




Mourinho, of course, is now at Tottenham and Woodward has confirmed that the club had to overrule their former manager as they didn’t agree with his targets.

Mourinho was furious with Woodward (Picture: Getty

‘It is true that there was a difference of opinion on one or two players between the manager and the recruitment department,’ Woodward told United We Stand.

‘Sometimes I have to be one who delivers the ‘no’, which isn’t easy, because our natural tendency is to back the manager in every possible circumstance, but we have to listen to the recruitment experts too’.

Despite his misgivings at Old Trafford, Mourinho is unlikely to have the same budget at Tottenham.

The club have little to spend in January and Mourinho is likely to have to sell before he can buy.

However, the former United boss says he’s happy with the squad and has ruled out a move for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

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