Jose Mourinho wants Ed Woodward to pursue two Premier League players in January

Manchester United head coach Jose Mourinho has reportedly urged Ed Woodward to try and sanction deals for Premier League duo Mesut Ozil and Danny Rose this month.

The Red Devils have struggled to keep up with leaders Manchester City over the past couple of months, and Mourinho recently admitted that the club need to spend much more in order to achieve success.

According to The Manchester Evening News, Mourinho's comments were aimed directly at executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward as he believes the club are falling behind the likes of City and Liverpool in the transfer market.

Arsenal's Ozil currently has just six months on his contract, and United are hoping to tempt the Gunners into a sale rather than losing for nothing in the summer.

Tottenham Hotspur ace Rose is another target to reinforce the left-back position, and it is suggested a fee of around £50m plus Luke Shaw could be sufficient to do business this month.