Jose Mourinho, the Manchester United manager, is on a fresh collision course with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward over transfers as he grows increasingly angry about a lack of activity.

Mourinho is desperate to recruit a centre-half next month and believes United’s defensive woes this season have underlined the folly of the failure to strengthen at the back in the summer.

The transfer window is due to open in just over a fortnight and United’s approach is likely to offer the clearest indication yet of their faith in Mourinho amid continuing scrutiny over his position and doubts he will survive beyond the end of this season.

Jorge Mendes, Mourinho’s agent, issued a statement last week claiming United were “very happy” with his client, whom he said was going nowhere, following more reports about the club’s interest in Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

But Mourinho distanced himself from that statement on the eve of United’s wretched 2-1 defeat by Valencia in the Champions League on Wednesday and, after a summer when his centre-half targets were knocked back, he is growing more worried that he could again be rebuffed in the transfer window.