Football
Rob Dawson, Correspondent 6y

Jose Mourinho on Man United winter transfers: 'Every player has a price'

MANCHESTER -- Jose Mourinho insists he will not stand in the way of any player who wants to leave Manchester United in January as long as the club receive a suitable offer.

A year ago United sold Morgan Schneiderlin to Everton and Memphis Depay to Lyon for a combined £37 million after both fell out of favour during Mourinho's first season at Old Trafford.

The United manager says he has not ruled out making signings next month, but also insists players can leave if another club stumps up the cash.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is among those struggling to get into Mourinho's team after failing to even make the bench in seven of the last eight games.

Luke Shaw, Matteo Darmian and Daley Blind are also on the fringes of the squad while Marouane Fellaini has only six months left on his contract.

Mourinho told a news conference on Friday: "I think for the right price. That's my approach as a manager.

"I think every player has a price. If a player is not happy, if a player brings with him the request with the number that we consider a good number for us -- like with Memphis and Morgan -- I would never say no." One player definitely staying at Old Trafford is Romelu Lukaku."

The Belgium international has scored two goals in his last three games following a run of one in 12 but refused to celebrate after finding the net in the 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Wednesday.

The striker is set to line up against West Brom on Sunday after scoring a hat trick against United at the Hawthorns in the same fixture in 2013.

Mourinho said: "I didn't celebrate either. I don't celebrate goals in a very enthusiastic way.

"If you score a goal in the last minute that gives you the victory in the last minute then yes you lose your balance and you don't control your emotion.

"You react in an emotional way. But it's quite difficult for myself in this moment to celebrate a goal in a super enthusiastic way.

"I control my emotions. After that goal there is a long time to go and anything can happen in football.

"I'm not acting to the cameras or the fans. Romelu scores goals quite regularly. Maybe next time -- and I mean one of the future matches -- he scores a goal that he feels with a different emotion."

United will hope to cut Manchester City's 11-point lead at the top of the Premier League table this weekend when they face Alan Pardew's team 24 hours after Pep Guardiola's side host Tottenham.

Mourinho's team bounced back from their defeat to City with victory over Bournemouth at Old Trafford in midweek, but the 54-year-old rejected the idea it had been hard to lift the players after the derby.

"No, no," he said. "The next day after City the place was normal as I like it to be. I like balance. I don't like a circus when you win and you're happy.

"I don't like a sad place when you lose and you're not happy. I like an emotional balance and that's what I found here. Bournemouth was a difficult match and we coped with it, we did our work. Back to normality."

Mourinho has until 6 p.m. on Monday to explain to the Football Association comments made before the derby that City commit "tactical fouls."

The Portuguese coach was asked at his news conference on Friday whether the prospect of an FA charge had put him in a position where he cannot say anything at all before games.

And although he hinted he thought that was the case he said, in the circumstances, it was best not to answer.

He added: "I don't answer to your question. As you can imagine, I don't answer your question. If I was a journalist I would write about it. I cannot tell you what I would write or I would expect you to write."

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