Man United target Issa Diop discusses defending for West Ham
Mourinho was desperate to sign a centre-back last summer as he headed into his third season in charge at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese’s demand was not met, though, while West Ham pinned down French international Diop on a five-year contract.
Diop was not seemingly on Mourinho’s list of centre-halves he wanted at United, but the divisive coach was full of praise for the player when the Red Devils lost at London Stadium last September.
“He had a fantastic match,” Mourinho said of Diop after the 3-1 loss.
Congratulations to the scout that found a 21-year-old kid Diop – a monster who dominated in the duels.
Jose Mourinho in September 2018
“Congratulations to the scout that found a 21-year-old kid Diop – a monster who dominated in the duels.”
Diop made 96 passes and two interceptions along with two successful aerial duels and tackles that afternoon.
He went on to feature in 33 league games for the Hammers last term, topping the charts for interceptions while featuring in the top-three for tackles, aerial battles won and clearances.
Former Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho praised Issa Diop last September (Image: Getty/BT Sport)
Man Utd scouts did not spot Issa Diop, hinted Jose Mourinho (Image: BT Sport)
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Sky Sports report the 20-time champions are willing to pay £45million plus one player for Diop.
West Ham do not want to sell, though, and would demand more than £60m for the player.
The club is intent on bringing in a centre-back who can partner Victor Lindelof for years to come.
Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo’s futures are all tenuous and they could be used as makeweights in the deal.
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Man Utd are willing to stump up £45m for Issa Diop (Image: Getty)
“Diop has been on United’s radar for quite a while,” Solhekol said. “If you think back to September of last year he played against United when West Ham won 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium.
“He was very impressive that day, so much so that the United manager at the time, Jose Mourinho, singled him out for praise. He said: ‘I would like to congratulate the scout who found this player, he was absolutely phenomenal, he won all his duels.’
“So he’s a player United know very, very well. Interestingly, he is a player that fits United’s profile this summer. We know they are looking to sign younger hungrier players.”