Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that he would have fought to sign Renato Sanches from Benfica had he arrived at the club sooner.
The Red Devils were heavily linked with a move for the highly-rated 18-year-old, but Bayern Munich stole a march on the rest and completed a deal for the youngster in May.
Mourinho was not confirmed as United boss until later that month, and he admitted that he would have been interested in his compatriot.
"I arrived late. I signed in May, we started talking a week before, but completely out of the process. If I had arrived earlier, I'd fight for him," he told SportTV.
"Manchester United watched Renato many times and maybe I did it even more. In so much time at home, I watched many Benfica and Portuguese league games, I got to know the boy better with time.
"He's in a a big club, in a league where he'll certainly be the champion. The club have players of very high level which belong to the structure, a little like Benfica."
United have been strongly linked with a world-record bid for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba in recent weeks.
Barney Corkhill
