José Mourinho to be given ‘significant funds’ for January spending

With the January tranfer window set to swing open in less than a month, the rumours of potential new recruits for Manchester United are relentless.

The consensus among the various reports, however, seems to be that the Red Devils are on the hunt for defensive re-inforcements, with stories linking the likes of Virgil van Dijk, José Giménez and Victor Lindelöf with moves to Old Trafford.

And yesterday, a report by Duncan Castles in the Daily Record claimed that "Manchester United have given José Mourinho the green light to aggressively strengthen the English Premier League club’s defence in the winter transfer window."

Castles, who is thought to have close contacts within the Portuguese coach’s entourage, went on to state "Mourinho has prioritised the addition of a Champions League-level central defender to his squad in January."

With United having splashed £30 million on Ivory Coast centre-back Eric Bailly in the summer, Castles also claims that "Mourinho advised his new club to sign a second central defender and a full-back in the summer window," but, "Woodward and his staff failed to make space in United’s squad by moving out any of a group of senior professionals deemed surplus to requirements."