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Jose Mourinho says more Man Utd players need to chip in with goals

Jose Mourinho during a press conference at Manchester United's Aon Training Complex
Image: Jose Mourinho speaking at his press conference at United's Aon Training Complex

Jose Mourinho says more players need to chip in with goals this season if Manchester United are to challenge for the Premier League.

Europa League, EFL Cup and Community Shield glory was a decent return in the Portuguese's first campaign in the Old Trafford dugout, as was Champions League qualification.

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But Mourinho knows they were over-reliant on Zlatan Ibrahimovic's goals and wants more support for this season's main man Romelu Lukaku.

"In my other clubs what I had was more players scoring goals," he said. "Midfield players scoring goals, wingers scoring goals, central defenders good in the air scoring goals at set-pieces.

Manchester United's Henrikh Mkhitaryan (3L) celebrates with team-mates after scoring
Image: Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the star man for United last season - now the others must step up, says Mourinho

"We always had that so my teams always had the goalscorer, we always had the guy that scores more goals, but then we had the winger that scored 15 goals, we had the midfield player who scored 10 goals, we had the central defender that scored five goals.

"And last season that didn't happen much - we were focused on the goals that our striker was scoring and when he was not scoring, the team was a little bit in trouble to win matches."

The United boss is looking to continue his remarkable record of winning the league in his second campaign in all five spells in charge of a major club.

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"It's not because I always did it that I am going to do it," the ex-Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss said.

Jose Mourinho holds up three fingers during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter-Final match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge
Image: Is Mourinho set to continue his title winning sequence at United this season?

"I just think naturally a manager in the second season knows the players better, knows the club better. I don't say the league because I have been in this league a long time.

"I have conditions to deliver a better team than I did in the first season. If that is going to mean better results and the title, I don't know."

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