Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho: 'I preferred Nemanja Matic over Eric Dier'

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has claimed that he did not expect to sign Nemanja Matic from Chelsea during the summer.

United were heavily linked with Tottenham Hotspur's Eric Dier before completing a deal for Matic, who has gone on to impress in the centre of Mourinho's midfield this season.

Ahead of Saturday's clash between the teams, Mourinho was quizzed on the links with Dier, but the Portuguese has insisted that he had been able to sign the player that he "really wanted".

The 54-year-old told reporters: "I have the player that I want to have, probably I have the player I didn't think it was possible to have but we got the player I really wanted."

United and Spurs are currently level on points in the Premier League table, five adrift of leaders Manchester City.