Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has ruled out playing Wayne Rooney in midfield in the upcoming season.
The club captain has dropped deeper for club and country in the last few months, and recently claimed that he sees his future as a midfielder.
However, Mourinho, who was appointed as Louis van Gaal's successor in May, has no intention of playing the 30-year-old in that position.
"I think in football there are many jobs on the field," Mourinho told reporters in his first official press conference. "I think the one that is more difficult to find is the man who puts the ball in the net.
"The players change throughout the years. It is normal that a player at this age changes a little bit, but there is something that will never change - his appetite to put the ball in the net.
"So maybe [Rooney] is not a striker anymore, not a No.9 any more, but for me he will never be a No.6. He will never play 50 metres away from the goal. Yes, his passing is amazing but my passing is also amazing with no pressure. For me, he will be a No.9, a No.10 and No.9-and-a-half, but not a No.6 and not even a No.8."
Meanwhile, Mourinho has confirmed that the club want to have four new players by the time the transfer window shuts.
Danielle Joynson
