Jose Mourinho is “not confident” that Manchester United will be completing deadline day business, despite the Red Devils having endured a quiet transfer window.
The Portuguese has regularly expressed his frustration at what has been a testing summer for those at Old Trafford.
He had been hoping for more additions to a squad which finished 19 points adrift of Premier League champions Man City in 2017-18, but has seen his hands tied in the transfer market.
Brazil international Fred is the only player to have come in that is set to challenge for an instant starting berth , with Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant merely squad options for the present and future.
United have been linked with several other signings, especially at centre-half , but Mourinho doubts deals will be done, telling reporters: “I’m not confident and the market closes today.
“So it’s time – at least for me – to stop thinking about the market because the market will be closed, so I will have to focus on the players I have in relation to this first couple of matches.
”Maybe [it’s] three matches because, after Spurs, there is [an] international break. It gives us a couple of weeks to recover people and to prepare people better and to focus on the players that are available.
“So I’m not even thinking about that list of injured players – [Nemanja] Matic, [Antonio] Valencia and so on. I focus just on what we have and we go with everything we have to the first match.”
Asked to confirm that he is expecting no movement at all on Thursday, Mourinho added: “The information I have is no.”
Despite being frustrated in the recruitment market, United will be expected to challenge for major honours once again in 2018-19.
They are set to open their Premier League campaign at home to Leicester on Friday and Mourinho has started the fighting talk early, claiming that he has not been given enough credit for overseeing a runner-up finish behind Manchester City last season.
He added: “My view is that it is difficult for me to believe we finished second.
“When I listen, when I read, not much but sometimes I do, it is difficult to believe that we finished second, because you are capable of making people that finish second look like they were relegated, and people who win nothing, finish below us, and you make them look like serial winners.
“[It] is difficult for me to understand, to feel, to believe we finish second – which I keep saying, and it is sometimes difficult to believe that I won eight championships and three Premier Leagues, but I keep feeling [finishing] second last season was one of my biggest achievements in the game.”
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