More good news for Manchester United.
It’s been an exciting time at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho was unveiled earlier this week and new signings are flooding in the door.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eric Bailly have already signed this summer while talks are continuing in London over the transfer of Paul Pogba from Juventus.
Jose Mourinho explains why he's signed Henrikh Mkhitaryan https://t.co/UselfZRqf7
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) July 6, 2016
Mourinho is already putting his own stamp on the squad and he is putting his stamp on the backroom team too.
Long-time ally Rui Faria will be his assistant while another trusted lieutenant Silvino Louro has also been recruited. Giovanni Cerra has been appointed as analyst while Ricardo Formosinho, Carlos Lalin and Emilio Alvarez also join the coaching set-up.
But it is the appointment of Alvarez that is perhaps the most intriguing for Manchester United fans.
He has never previously worked with Mourinho before (though they are both good friends with agent Jorge Mendes) but Alvarez is extremely close to David De Gea, having mentored the goalkeeper when he was a teenager at Atletico Madrid.
Alvarez was responsible for De Gea’s breakthrough into the Atletico Madrid first team and he remains close to both the goalkeeper and his father.
His arrival at Old Trafford may well persuade De Gea that his long-term future is at United rather than Real Madrid, who he came close to joining last year.
