Breaking News – Manchester United boss Mounrinho refuses to discuss title challenge

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Jose Mourinho pointedly refused to say if Manchester United have a good enough squad to challenge for the Premier League title as his downbeat mood continued in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Mourinho has admitted that he still wants two more players before the transfer deadline on August 9 after signing Fred and Diogo Dalot this summer. His concern over the state of his squad and lack of World Cup players available to him in America continues to cast a shadow over United’s tour ahead of their third game against AC Milan at the StubHub Center. Asked if United are good enough to compete for the title after finishing 19 points behind Manchester City last season, Mourinho said: ‘I don’t answer your question.’ Pressed on the situation on tour, he added: ‘I’ve got the facilities as always, I am happy with the matches, the evolution of the matches, but I don’t have the players to work. ‘I don’t have the majority of the players that are going to be in the squad on August 9 when the market closes and we can make the squad official for the season, so of course I’m not happy to have just a few players.’ Mourinho still believes his rivals will have an advantage over United in terms of key players available for the start of the season, and believes his side could be vulnerable in their opening Premier League games against Leicester and Brighton. He said: ‘If you look to the players that Chelsea and Liverpool have in the pre-season, especially these two teams, also Arsenal, if you compare, you see the difference of the situation. Manchester City and Tottenham are in a similar situation as we are, but you can see that some other clubs are in a different situation. ‘The first match of the season is against Leicester and the second one is against Brighton. I look to Leicester, if I’m not wrong, and only (Harry) Maguire and (Jamie) Vardy were in the World Cup in the final phase, because (Kasper) Schmeichel was back sooner. ‘So I think a team working for six weeks minimum with all the players except one defender and one striker that can join in the last weekend and probably be available, it’s clear it’s a much better situation for them. ‘When I look to Brighton, I don’t think they have any player that isn’t doing a very good pre-season with lots of training and matches. ‘So against Leicester and Brighton the situation is not amazing for us. I would say the third match, playing against a team in a similar situation as us, after three weeks is okay. It’s almost like you need a pre-season with them, but for the first two matches we have to fight for the points, so that is what we are going to do with the players available.’ Mourinho refused to answer more questions on Paul Pogba following his latest comments about United’s £89million record signing, but confirmed that Marcos Rojo will undergo medical tests before deciding if he will join up with the tour. ‘He’s with the medical department,’ added the United manager. ‘He’s in contact since the World Cup where he

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