Jose Mourinho wants two Man United veteran stars at AS Roma | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho wants Manchester United duo David de Gea and Nemanja Matic at Roma

Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has not yet taken over as the boss at AS Roma. However, the Portuguese tactician is already planning ahead for his new venture.

Mourinho will take over in the summer ahead of next season, replacing Paulo Fonseca. He signed the three-year deal just days after being dismissed by Tottenham Hotspur.

The Portuguese manager has previous experience of managing in the Italian top-flight. He spent two years at Inter Milan, leading them to the treble in 2010.

In Roma, Mourinho faces a team that is in need of a serious rebuild. The Italian giants are not the side of old and will need to be structured from the bottom up.

In Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Chris Smalling, Mourinho will already have two former United players in his midst. According to Sport Italia via Football Italia (h/t Manchester Evening News), he is keen to bring in more and has targetted veteran midfielder Nemanja Matic.

A move for Matic would see the duo link up for the third time at three different clubs. The Serbian also played for Mourinho at Chelsea. Matic’s contract at United runs until 2023 and he is not a major player for the club anymore.

David de Gea meanwhile has also lost his position in the starting lineup to Dean Henderson. According to Corriere della Sera (h/t Manchester Evening News), the Spaniard could be offered a new lease of life in the Italian capital.

United are not averse to loaning out their highest earner and Roma might seek to do just that. Whether the Italians can afford to pay the goalkeeper’s wages remains to be seen.

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Both players are in their 30s and do not have the same key roles at United that they once played. As long as Roma can fork out what is needed, there is little doubt that United would cash in.

The Italian top-flight has emerged as an escape route for United players who have struggled at Old Trafford. The likes of Ashley Young, Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku are a part of the Inter Milan side that won this season’s Scudetto under Antonio Conte.