Mourinho carpets Klopp over Dijk £75m signing

Jose Mourinho has mischievously highlighted the changing view of Jurgen Klopp after his Liverpool counterpart spent £75 million to sign Southampton’s Dutch defender, Virgil van Dijk.

The Manchester United manager cheekily suggested on Friday that if he were a member of the media, he would ask Klopp about his comments, 18 months ago, when the German claimed he would not want to spend huge amounts of money even if it were available to him.

At that time, Klopp was responding to a summer in which United were on the verge of breaking the world record by paying £89 million for Paul Pogba – a figure “only” £14 million more than Liverpool spent this week to land van Dijk.

“You know, I think the one that speaks about it in a specific way has to be Jurgen,” said Mourinho ahead of Southampton’s trip to Old Trafford tomorrow.

“And if I was one of you I would ask him about his comments about one year ago.

“But I’m not speaking specifically about that case because in Liverpool they do what they want to do and I am nobody to comment on what they do.

“The reality is that if they think that the player is the right player for them and they really want the player they pay this amount or they don’t have the player because that is the way the market is at that time.”

Mischievous as Mourinho’s comments were, the United manager did concede that he has far pressing concerns closer to home with the form of his star striker Romelu Lukaku.