Jose Mourinho has hailed new signing Alexis Sanchez as “one of the best attackers in the world” - and ruled out bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to Manchester United.
Sanchez is in United's squad for tomorrow's FA Cup tie at Yeovil and Mourinho said the capture of the No.7 from Arsenal means there is no chance of Ronaldo rejoining the Reds.
Ronaldo has been linked with a return to United with Real Madrid in the grip of a crisis, but Mourinho said there was no way he would move for the 32-year-old superstar.
“I think with the moment Real Madrid is having now, I think I should be the last one to add some fuel to the fire,” said Mourinho.
“Madrid is on fire, the results are not good and it's a club where I worked three years, I care about the club, and I am the last one to add fire.
“So, to put some water on the fire, Cristiano is the kind of player every manager and club wants, but he is a player for [Zinedine] Zidane and Real Madrid, that's my feeling.”
Mourinho said he had admired Sanchez throughout the 29-year-old's career and was delighted to finally get the chance to work with the former Arsenal and Barcelona star.
“I think everybody knows what he did at Arsenal. I try not to speak what he did before in Spain and Italy, but in the Premier League he's shown the quality he has.
“We got one of the best attacking players in the world and he's very important for us because we ant the best possible players.
“He can play everywhere in the attacking positions. I have known him for many many years, I was with him in Italy when I was at Inter and he was at Udinese, in Spain, when I was at Real Madrid and he was at Barcelona, and in England, when he was at Arsenal.
“So our careers are almost made in the same countries simultaneously, so I know him very very well. I saw him play on the right, on the left, as a striker and behind the striker, these are Alexis's positions.
“I saw him play in different tactical positions, in different philosophies, I saw him successful in every country with every manager and every position, so he's a player that becomes more than a player and, because of that motivation, he can play in four different positions.”
Henrikh Mkhitaryan went to Arsenal as part of the swap deal for Sanchez, with Mourinho claiming he had no regrets at letting the Armenian go after just 18 months at United.
“I think was a fantastic deal and a fantastic deal is only fantastic if it is good for everybody,” said Mourinho.
“United and Arsenal made a fantastic deal, I lost a fantastic player, Mr Wenger lost a fantastic player, Alexis changed from a fantastic club to a giant club and Mkhi changed for a fantastic club, so was a great deal for everybody.
“I believe Mkhi is going to be even better than he was with us. With one and a half years in England, adapted, he knows, Arsenal play the way they think, I think is a good move for everybody, that's why I'm also happy for Mkhi.
“Could he perform better with us? Could I take more from his talent? Maybe. Could he give a little more also to adapt to us? Maybe, but I don't think of regrets.
“He's in our history, so good feeling for everybody and a very specific transfer between rivals in a big country which, I have to say, must happen more times.”
Asked what impact the arrival of Sanchez will have on his squad, Mourinho said: “This is life in big clubs.
“In big clubs you have big players, you have competition, you have responsibilities, you have to perform always, you have to try to go to every comp in a serious way, you cannot do that with 11 players, it's impossible, so the players in big clubs know the squad is 20-something where everybody wants to play.
“Space for everybody and needed for everybody I think is absolutely fundamental and we want to improve all the time, do better and better and better, we want to achieve big things and will not stop until we do that.”
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