'I'd been warned' - what Jose Mourinho told 'phenomenal' Manchester United target during private call prior to transfer snub

Just like the summer of 2022, the summer of 2016 was one that marked the beginning of a new chapter in Manchester United's rich and colourful history.

After three unsuccessful seasons were shared between David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, as well as a short period under Ryan Giggs, United turned to Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese arrived at Old Trafford in May 2016 having already won three Premier League titles.

But for all of Mourinho's previous successes, a manager can only be successful if he has the right tools to work with. The current AS Roma boss wasted no time in shaping his squad, drafting in Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for big-money fees, as well as securing Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer.

READ MORE: Erik ten Hag hints at United transfer plans

There was still room for one more signing and United took their tally of summer recruits to four with the record-breaking return of Paul Pogba from Juventus. Four years after leaving Old Trafford for the first time, he returned to M16 for £89million. The Reds have not spent more money on a player since.

Explaining why he had pushed to bring Pogba back to United, Mourinho said: "Paul is one of the best players in the world and will be a key part of the United team I want to build here for the future. He is quick, strong, scores goals and reads the game better than many players much older than he is.

"At 23, he has the chance to make that position his own here over many years. He is young and will continue to improve; he has the chance to be at the heart of this club for the next decade and beyond."

Like Erik ten Hag last summer, Mourinho knew he had to make a statement signing to transform United's midfield. Pogba was that statement signing and Mourinho had