- Jose Mourinho managed Manchester United for two-and-a-half seasons
- Sir Alex Ferguson suggested to him that he should sign one English midfielder
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Jose Mourinho did not act on the one transfer that was suggested to him by Sir Alex Ferguson, during his time in charge of Manchester United.
Mourinho became manager of the Red Devils in the summer of 2016 and would go on to spend two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford.
Legendary United boss Ferguson did not offer too much in the way of advice but he did feel strongly that the team should target English midfielder Dele Alli.
Mourinho did not agree with Ferguson’s recommendation but would later go on to manage the player at Tottenham.
In a clip from Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’ series at Tottenham which was filmed during the 2019-20 season, the now AS Roma manager was seen complaining to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy about Alli.
Jose Mourinho did not act on the one transfer that was suggested to him by Sir Alex Ferguson
Ferguson told Mourinho that he should be looking to sign English midfielder Dele Alli
Mourinho later managed Alli at Tottenham but described him as a bad trainer in Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’ series
‘I told already Dele very directly that he doesn’t train well, he is not a good trainer,’ he said.
‘I am not saying a disaster, but I am not saying Harry Kane. Harry Kane is a very good trainer.’
Mourinho added: ‘Sir Alex Ferguson gave me only one bit of advice in two and a half years: ‘Buy Dele Alli.
‘That guy, with that mentality, the way he plays, the aggression he has in mind. This guy is the Manchester United player. Buy Dele Alli’.
‘And he [Ferguson] has an eye for a player. But he [Alli] is not a good trainer, we need to find motivation for the guy.’
Alli has not had it easy in the years since those comments were made and has returned to Everton following a difficult loan spell with Turkish club Besiktas.
He hasn’t been able to play a single minute of football so far this season due to a long-standing groin issue.
The 27-year-old returned to training last month but recently revealed in an Instagram post that he’d suffered a fresh setback.
Alli falls to the ground during a Tottenham training session in 2020 as Mourinho looks on
Alli returned to training with Everton but recently suffered another injury setback
Alli wrote on social media: ‘As the year comes to an end, I just wanted to say thank you for the incredible support I’ve received over the last 12 months.
‘This year has been a little different for me, I’ve learned and experienced a lot, had ups and downs, but throughout it all you’ve always shown me so much love.
‘Unfortunately the year isn’t ending as I would have hoped, I had been close to returning to full training but frustratingly I’ve had another setback with my injury.
The midfielder revealed in a New Year Instagram message that he’d suffered a new issue
‘I’ll be out again for [a] short while but my outlook and mentality is nothing but positive.
‘I’ll be attacking my physiotherapy and giving it everything to be back on the pitch as soon as possible.
‘I hope you’ve had the year you wanted, and wishing you all nothing but the best for 2024.’
Back in July, Alli told Gary Neville on The Overlap about the traumas of his childhood and how he checked into rehab to fight his sleeping pill addiction.
Alli disclosed how he spent a spell in a rehab facility and shared details from his traumatic childhood, including the revelation that he was molested as a child by a friend of his mother.
