Manchester United transfer news: Jose Mourinho reveals he wanted to sign Renato Sanches - but was too late

The Portuguese replaced Louis van Gaal at United in late May but Bayern Munich had already swooped to sign the 18-year old

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has revealed he would have fought to sign Renato Sanches this summer if he had arrived at Old Trafford sooner.

The Portuguese replaced Louis van Gaal at United in late May but Bayern Munich had already completed a £27.5m deal with Benfica, the 18-year-old’s former club, despite the the 20-time English champions monitoring his situation for 12 months.

United have since swooped to sign Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan while they continue to negotiate a world-record £100m deal with Juventus to sign Paul Pogba four years after allowing him to leave for Turin.

Speaking ahead of the Community Shield clash against Leicester City on Sunday, Mourinho said: “I arrived [at United] late. I signed in May, we started talking a week before, but completely out of the process. If I had arrived earlier, I'd fight for him.

“Manchester United watched Renato many times and maybe I did it even more. In so much time at home, I watched many Benfica and Portuguese league games, I got to know the boy better with time. He's in a big club, in a league where he'll certainly be the champion. The club have players of very high level which belong to the structure, a little like Benfica.”

Meanwhile, former United defender Rio Ferdinand has insisted the club have to sign Pogba otherwise they risk upsetting the morale in Mourinho’s dressing room ahead of the new season.

Ferdinand, 37, said: “I speak to Paul, I know him. He’s someone for whom it’s all about football. It’s not about money. The biggest thing for me and my own family [upon joining United in 2002] wasn’t the money, it was: ‘What’s Giggsy like? What’s Keane like?’

“Paul’s like that. He loves football. It’s all about improving and being the best. When he left I asked him why and he said: ‘I want to be the best player in the world.’ He’s on the right track. He’s not there yet.”

He added: “As a player in the changing room, you’ve been thinking for so long: ‘He’s coming, he’s coming’. If he doesn’t sign it could have an adverse effect mentally on the players in the changing room.

“For a short period of time at least. It’s important they sign him.”