Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho admits he 'does not know' why Alexis Sanchez's move is taking so long to force through
- Jose Mourinho has said there is 'nothing new' to add about Alexis Sanchez deal
- The Manchester United boss said there was no point hiding a deal is in motion
- Mourinho conceded he had 'no idea' why the move was taking so long to happen
- The Portuguese revealed he does not like to get too involved in the deal-making
Jose Mourinho admitted he had no idea why Alexis Sanchez’s move from Arsenal to Old Trafford has been held up but wants to focus on Manchester United’s trip to Burnley.
Sanchez, pictured at Arsenal's training ground on Friday morning, cannot sign for United in time to play at Turf Moor on Saturday, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan – who is expected to move in the opposite direction – trained at Carrington.
Mourinho confirmed that Mkhitaryan would again be left out of the squad, and claimed that he is relaxed about the situation with Sanchez.
Jose Mourinho has admitted he has no idea what the hold-up is in the Alexis Sanchez deal
Sanchez reported for Arsenal training on Friday as his deal to Manchester United is finalised
Sanchez missed the Premier League deadline to be registered to face Burnley for United
The United boss insists he has taken a step back from signing the Chile star as United look to cut Manchester City’s lead at the top of the table to nine points before the Premier League leaders face Newcastle at home on Saturday evening.
‘Nothing new,’ said Mourinho in response to questions about Sanchez joining United. ‘I think clearly everybody knows that we are there. Especially when the Arsenal manager speaks so clearly like he did, there is no point in trying to hide or deny but not done at all.
‘So in this moment, Mkhitaryan is our player, Sanchez is an Arsenal player and with a match tomorrow I want to switch off and focus on the most important thing, which is the match.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan arrived United's training ground as he prepares for his move the other way
The United boss confirmed the Armenian would be omitted from the match-day squad again
‘Sometimes people thinks transfers involve a lot the managers in the negotiations. I think it depends on the profile of the club, the way we establish our jobs. In my case, when it goes to the table of negotiations, I like to be out. I am out and I will just calmly waiting for news, no more than that.
‘I will speak with you if one day we sign him, I can speak with you about him and what he can bring to our team. He's an Arsenal player, he's not my player, there's no point in me speaking about something that may or may to happen.’
‘My involvement in the situation is just to say the reasons why I would like to have the player and no more than that, I'm out. Let's be clearer if it happens. If it doesn't happen, there is no point.’
When asked why the transfer was being held up, the Portuguese replied: 'I don't know.'
'There is no point in trying to hide or deny but not done at all,' he said of United's interest
The Portuguese said he prefers not to be too involved in the deal-making process
Having missed this weekend's deadline, Sanchez's next available opportunity to make his Reds debut is in the FA Cup fourth round at Huish Park when United face League Two Yeovil next Friday evening.
If he is to play no part against Yeovil, the next Premier League game he would be eligible for is at Wembley against Tottenham on January 31.
While he remained in London, Sanchez was expected to train with Arsenal's under-18s once again after linking up with the youngsters on Thursday.
United have agreed to make Sanchez the club's highest-ever earner in the biggest wages deal in Premier League history.
They will pay Arsenal £20m to sign the 29-year-old and a further £15m to his agent Fernando Felicevich after a £450,000-a-week deal was agreed.
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