Jose Mourinho: 'No Sense' Discussing Antoine Griezmann Transfer Rumours

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has said there is "no sense" in him discussing the possibility of signing Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann. 

According to the Mirror's Jack Rathborn, he replied after being asked about the Frenchman: "I don't speak about players, especially ones who belong to other clubs, there is no sense to do that."

Griezmann was heavily linked with a move to United last summer. The Sun's Alex Terrell reported he and United had agreed terms on a five-year contract, but the 26-year-old stayed out after Atletico were hit with a transfer ban that prevented them from registering players in the summer.

United find themselves 11 points behind Manchester City in the Premier League table, and football writer Liam Canning believes Griezmann would be the perfect solution to their problems:

That is particularly the case given the struggles of Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian scored against Bournemouth on Wednesday but that was just his third for the club since September.

While Mourinho would not be drawn on Griezmann, he did hint at the possibility of January signings, per Marca's Chris Winterburn:

An alternative to Lukaku would be useful, as would another player who can provide creativity.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who should be one of United's chief creative forces alongside Paul Pogba, has not been used in recent matches after some poor form:

The Armenian has not even made the matchday squad in five of those last six games, and Mourinho explained why: "I can only have six [outfield] players on the bench and I try and have some balance. I had two defenders and [Daley] Blind who can play in different areas. I had [Ashley] Young to cover me the wing-back and wing positions."

While Mkhitaryan's disappointing performances perhaps did warrant some time on the sidelines, he is among United's most talented players—Mourinho needs to get the best out of him if they're to have any chance of closing the gap on City.

On the title race, the Special One added: "We are second, this is where we are, not first and not third. We take one match at a time, let’s see where we are at the end of the season."

City have been incredible this season—they're unbeaten in the league and have won 15 matches in a row—but United will be disappointed to not only be so far behind in the table but also on the pitch, with the Sky Blues' superiority clear to see in their 2-1 win at Old Trafford last Sunday.

Mourinho pointed to the difficulty of the job he faces at United and his managerial record, per BBC Sport's Simon Stone:

It is worth remembering Mourinho has been tasked with rebuilding United after three disappointing years under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, in which the club fell away from Europe and the Premier League's elite.

Nevertheless, while United have improved since he took charge, the manager still isn't getting the best out of his current crop of players, something a coach of his pedigree should be capable of doing.

The Red Devils take on West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, where they will hope to reduce the deficit between themselves and City if the Sky Blues drop points at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur the day prior.