Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho side-steps questions on Manchester City FFP allegations

The United manager only wanted to discuss football, describing City's work on-the-pitch as 'untouchable'

Jose Mourinho previewed Manchester United's meeting with Wolves on Friday (Getty)

Jose Mourinho has described Manchester City’s work on-the-pitch as “untouchable”, after again side-stepping questions on the club’s problems with Financial Fair Play (FFP).

In a series of articles published by Der Spiegel this week, City have been accused of deceiving Uefa in order to circumvent FFP rules.

City welcome Manchester United to the Etihad on Sunday and Mourinho has complained in the past about City’s superior spending power.

The United manager refrained from commenting on Der Spiegel’s reports earlier this week and chose to bite his tongue again on Friday morning, though hailed what City do on-the-pitch as “untouchable”.

“It is difficult for me to answer because I focus on my job, I focus on the four lines, focus on football,” he said.

“If you want to speak about their football potential we can speak and football potential starts with investment.

“After that, of course there is a quality of the work, of the organisation, I think that is untouchable,” he said.

Mourinho added: “What is behind I cannot say but in this moment I have only to think about football, and to think about football is to think about Manchester City as a football team there.”

United can close the gap on leaders City to six points with victory at the Etihad on Sunday and will hope for a repeat of their stunning 3-2 victory on the same ground in April.

“If we drew is nine, if we lose is 12, I don’t think is the way to look at the match,” Mourinho said.

“We have to just think about the match. It is difficult enough as an isolated event, if you want to put that match into the context of where we are where we can be.

“I want to play it as an isolated match, difficult match against difficult team but they think is a difficult match for them.”