JOSE MOURINHO has addressed an image he posted on social media which showed him hugging an “imaginary striker” – a message to Roma bosses about their failures in the transfer market.
Mourinho‘s No9 Tammy Abraham suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his side’s final Serie A game of last season.
Jose Mourinho posed with an ‘imaginary striker’ during Roma’s pre-season campInstagram @josemourinho
Instagram @josemourinhoThis is the full shot Mourinho shared on Instagram[/caption]
He is not expected to play before the end of the year.
Roma have been linked with replacement strikers such as Atletico Madrid man Alvaro Morata and West Ham‘s Gianluca Scamacca.
But a striker is yet to come through the door – less than a fortnight before their opening league match of the season at home to Salernitana on August 20.
Amid tension at the club, Mourinho shared a picture at the end of Roma’s pre-season training camp in Portugal showing him and his coaching staff hugging an “imaginary striker”.
The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss has now opened up about the decision to post that photo – while he also made the remarkable claim that signing Kylian Mbappe would still be deemed “late”.
He told Corriere dello Sport: “Everything’s not okay. I get angry for an hour and then I’m back to being positive.
“Regarding the imaginary striker, I can tell you even if Mbappe arrives next week, it’d still be late…
“After Tammy’s injury we are in a situation that no coach in the world wants to be in.
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GettyTammy Abraham suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the end of last season[/caption]
“It’s impossible for me to say that I’m happy. But to say that I’m in open war with the club is very wrong.”
He went on to add: “Tammy was injured on 5 June – we are talking about 63, 64 days [ago].
“For me there is a name, there is one, because I am usually very objective and pragmatic, but it is not possible to get him – this is what I was told.”
Mourinho is heading into his third season with the Italian giants.
He won the Europa Conference League in his opening campaign at the Stadio Olimpico.
Last season, Roma finished sixth in Serie A and lost to Sevilla in the Europa League final.
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