Jose Mourinho claimed that the Glazers would not give him the funds to sign the current Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk for Manchester United, according to Chris Kamara.
At the time, Van Dijk was one of the most sought-after central defenders in the country thanks to his performances for Southampton. Before his January 2018 switch to Anfield, Kamara recalled on his BBC Sport podcast, Proper Football, that he had recommended to Mourinho the Dutchman.
However, as Kamara explains, Mourinho was pessimistic about receiving the funds needed for Van Dijk. The ex-Sky Sports pundit said: "I can exclusively reveal that I told Jose to take him to Manchester United.
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"Jose said: 'These lot won't give me the money for him.' Yeah, and he went to Liverpool."
Van Dijk would join the Reds for an eye-watering £75m but has enjoyed a mostly successful career on Merseyside winning the Premier League and the Champions League. It is no secret that the Portuguese manager is a fan of Liverpool's centre-back.
In 2019, after leaving United, Mourinho told Sky Sports that it would be unfair to compare the defender to any other player. "It would be unfair to other fantastic central defenders," he explained.
"In English football, yes for sure. He has everything and its almost impossible to find weakness in his game."
United endured some defensive woes since Kamara's recommendation of Van Dijk but under Erik ten Hag, the Reds have managed to turn a corner. Presently, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane are the starting central defensive partnership with Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof being used sparingly.
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