Ole Gunnar Solskjaer succeed Jose Mourinho as Manchester United manager in December 2018 and the former is reportedly hoping to sign one of his old players in January
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Jose Mourinho sent off during Roma’s draw with Napoli
Roma manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly considering singing Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot for a second time.
Mourinho brought the 22-year-old to Old Trafford from Porto in June 2018 but the move hasn’t worked out as hoped.
Dalot made just 20 Premier League appearances during his first two seasons at United, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replacing Mourinho in December 2018.
The player revived his stuttering career during a loan spell at AC Milan last term, playing 33 games in all competitions to earn a place in Portugal’s squad for Euro 2020.
Dalot was hoping to get another chance at United this term but has failed to start a Premier League game, despite there being question marks over Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s form.
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And, according to reports collated by Sport Witness, Mourinho is hoping to persuade the player to quit Old Trafford and join Roma.
It’s believed the Italian club’s technical director Tiago Pinto is currently “studying a strategy” to sign him as they can’t afford to pay a transfer fee at this moment in time.
Mourinho reportedly wants Dalot to reinforce his leaky defence, which has conceded 15 goals in 12 league games this term.
Roma are currently sixth in Serie A – 13 points behind leaders Napoli and Milan – and second in their Europa Conference League group.
Discussing the defender’s future in October, Solskjaer said: “He did well for Portugal [at the Euros], he had a season where he learned a lot from in Milan.
“He kept fit, that was a big thing and he’s got qualities that we look at trying to exploit more and more. He’s got more experience.
“We’re not here just to loan out players for years and years. Last year’s loan was to give him experience and game time.”
Discussing Dalot in 2018, Mourinho said: “In his age group, he is the best full-back in Europe.
“He is an extremely talented young defender with all the qualities to quickly become a great player for this club [United].
“He has all the attributes that a full-back needs: physicality, tactical intelligence and technical quality, combined with a Porto academy mentality which prepares players for the maturity they need at the professional level.”
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Dalot’s future has been in doubt since rumours linking former Tottenham Kieran Trippier with United emerged during the summer.
The Atletico Madrid star admitted in October: “I would love to play in the Premier League again.”
Mourinho is also rumoured to be considering a move for Dani Ceballos, who spent two seasons on loan at Arsenal between 2019 and 2021.
The midfielder, 25, hasn’t played for Real Madrid this season and it’s believed the Spanish giants are willing to let him leave the club for around £16.9m.