Man United simply must sign a defender in January – and here’s why

Smalling and Shaw are in Mourinho’s bad books

Early in November Mourinho appeared to criticise both Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw at a press conference before an away match at Swansea.

The Portuguese was noticeably unhappy that the pair had ruled themselves out of the game, claiming they weren’t 100% fit.

This prompted the United boss to exclaim that his players should be willing to play through the pain barrier, as many other sportsmen do.

The situation is likely to have prompted the Portuguese to start looking at alternative options this January, players he feels more comfortable with, and who he can trust.