Jose Mourinho blocked Cristiano Ronaldo approach

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is said to have influenced the club's decision to ignore Cristiano Ronaldo during the summer transfer window.

Earlier this summer, the Portuguese superstar had sought a fresh challenge after spending nine seasons with Real Madrid and this saw him linked with a probable return to Old Trafford.

However, Serie A champions Juventus were the only side to have made a concrete offer for his services and he eventually joined them for a club-record fee of around £99m.

According to The Mirror, Mourinho is understood to have told the board not to pursue Ronaldo during the summer as he was rather keen on recruiting a new central defender.

The manager was ultimately left frustrated after United failed to reach an agreement with any of their central defensive targets and the club have since endured a poor start to the season with defeats in two of their opening three league games.

Ronaldo may have not earned a reunion with Manchester United this summer but he is likely to return to Old Trafford next month where Juventus have a Champions League group stage game scheduled.