Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho tells club to up their pursuit of Monaco’s Brazilian star Fabinho

JOSE MOURINHO has told Manchester United to step up their pursuit of Brazilian midfielder Fabinho.

According to reports, the Portuguese manager has tasked Ed Woodward with securing the capture of the £40.6million ace.

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Mourinho reportedly wants another wide player and a centre-back before the transfer window shuts on August 31 at 11pm.

United have signed Romelu Lukaku, Victor Lindelof and Nemanja Matic this summer for a total of £146m.

But Mourinho has challenged Woodward to land him the Monaco flyer, 23, before September.

According to the Express, United have failed to land Paris Saint-Germain's £27m-rated full-back Serge Aurier.

So United have turned their attentions back to Fabinho, who, like Antonio Valencia can play either full-back or in midfield.

Mourinho looks set to rotate between a 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 formation this season, with that versatility sure to play itself out in both the Premier League and Europe.

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Fabinho factfile

• His full name - Fabio Henrique Tavares
• He was born in Campinas, Brazil, on 23 October, 1993
• The 23-year-old played at Paulinia and Fluminense as a youth player
• He then began his profressional career at Rio Ave
• Fabinho played on loan at Real Madrid B and Real Madrid's first team - making just one appearance for Los Blancos
• In 2013 he was then loaned out to Monaco for two years before joining them permanently in 2015
• The midfielder has represented Brazil Under-23s as well as the nation's first-team
• Fabinho played a key role in Monaco's title-winning season and netted ten goals in all competitions

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The French champions have reportedly rejected a £36.1m offer from Atletico Madrid in recent weeks, meaning United will have to up their money to land him.

Mourinho will be familiar with Fabinho after he played for Real Madrid and their B squad between 2012 and 2013.

Monaco have sold some of the best players in the Ligue 1-winning team of last season, including Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy to Manchester City and Tiemoue Bakayoko to Chelsea.

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