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'NEIGHBOUR FROM HELL'
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho admits he doesn’t want to be the one to break the Red Devils’ proud academy record
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JOSE MOURINHO claims he wants to maintain Manchester United's proud 80-year academy record.
The club have had an academy player in every single match-day squad since 1937 - a sequence they do not want to break anytime soon.
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And Mourinho, who famously likes to buy seasoned pros, has admitted he wants to keep the tradition going in the mould of Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 54-year-old told the : "I think what is happening with (Jesse) Lingard and (Marcus) Rashford is now happening with Scott McTominay… because he is not going to leave the club any more.
"To follow a certain pathway is important. I am doing it with McTominay.
"Mr Van Gaal had the start of Rashford, I am having it with Scott McTominay and, next year, there should be another."
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McTominay and Rashford are the two most recent examples of players who have been given game time by Mourinho.
And with the former it came about because of a shortage in midfield, that has led to him starting in the League Cup game at Swansea and the home Champions League tie versus Benfica.
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Meanwhile last season, Mourinho gave game time to the likes of Josh Harrop - who has now left the club - as well as Demi Mitchell, Axel Tuanzebe and promising youngster Angel Gomes.
United fans' love of their young talent was highlighted to Mourinho as the Old Trafford faithful booed when he brought off Rashford instead of Romelu Lukaku for Anthony Martial in the 1-0 win over Tottenham.
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He added: "I don’t want to be the one that breaks that and I think the next United manager – it doesn’t matter when he comes – should also try not to break it.
"It is more difficult now than it was before, but I think it is good. I feel it like a way to keep a certain identity of the club. To keep that identity means, basically, we should bring a new player from the academy every season.
"You can bring someone to play 10 minutes, then the player disappears and then you can say, ‘Oh, 40 players have their debut with me’. But none of them are important.
"When I say 'bring', I mean (for them) to stay."
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Meanwhile Mourinho refused to commit further to his Manchester United future beyond his current three-year contract.
He added: "I signed a three-year contract and when I signed that three-year contract it was basically to try and improve the direction of the football team.
"And obviously when we want to improve the direction of the football team, it means to try and win titles which we did already last season."
Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford the Manchester United players arrive at Unicef charity evening Instagram jesselingard
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