Jose Mourinho Talks Liverpool Spending, Man United Injuries in Press Conference

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho believes Liverpool's strong start to the season isn't entirely down to the money they have spent.

Speaking at his press conference on Friday ahead of the Premier League clash between the two rivals on Sunday, the United boss was asked about the money splashed out by Jurgen Klopp's side, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Naby Keita arriving for huge fees in 2018.

United had a relatively quiet year in the transfer market by contrast, but Mourinho said Liverpool have done more than just spend well, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

The question came on the back of a report from Dave Woods and James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph that said Mourinho "is on a fresh collision course with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward over transfers as he grows increasingly angry about a lack of activity."

Mourinho said his squad is a long way short of the standard he wants it to be at, per Kris Voakes of Goal: 

Despite some praise for the Anfield side, Mourinho had one small dig at United's rivals going into the match, making the point that football is about silverware, with Klopp yet to win any during his time as Liverpool boss: 

Mourinho continued: "Maybe this season, finally you demand that they win. I think you have to be fair and now you have to demand [Liverpool win the league].

"You have to say the team, with the investments you are making last season, that you made in January, that you make now, because that will probably be the record for the Premier League this season, I can’t see anyone else getting close to spending what they have."

Liverpool go into Sunday's game as the unbeaten Premier League leaders after they beat Bournemouth and Manchester City lost to Chelsea.

United are enduring a tough campaign. They sit in sixth spot after some inconsistent displays and head into the game having lost to Valencia 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday; they are a whopping 16 points behind Liverpool.

Despite their issues, Mourinho said he's confident his team can go to Anfield and cause problems for their opponents: 

The task will be made tougher by the injury issues the United manager has to contend with ahead of the game, with the coach confirming there are a number for him to deal with: 

Luckhurst reported that Alexis Sanchez and Victor Lindelof will miss the game, while Marcos Rojo, Scott McTominay, Luke Shaw, Chris Smalling, Matteo Darmian, Diogo Dalot and Anthony Martial are all doubts.

"All of them [who are doubtful] didn't train yesterday again, and today they will be a little, I don't want to say [a] test, but a little introduction to training to see the answer, adaptation and to see if we can increase a little bit tomorrow to have them for Sunday," Mourinho said.