I would have sign Sanches if i arrive earlier say Mourinho.

Man United boss Jose Mourinho has said he would have put up a “fight” to sign midfielder Renato Sanches had he arrived at Old Trafford earlier.

The 18-year-old midfielder joined Bayern Munich in a deal worth up to €80m prior to Euro 2016, but Mourinho believes the outcome could have been different if he was appointed quickly following Louis van Gaal’s exit.

“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,” Mourinho told Sport TV.

“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.”

Any disappointment over missing out on Sanches is set to be short-lived, with Mourinho hinting that a world-record move for Paul Pogba is close to completion.