Man Utd: Jose Mourinho loses the lead to Ed Woodward after the defeat of Barcelona

Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho made a thinly veiled decision over Ed Woodward's alleged failure to support him in the transfer market after the Champions League exit.

The Red Devils were eliminated in the quarterfinals by a much higher team in Barcelona earlier this week and failed to score more than 180 minutes against the Catalans.

Mourinho was fired in mid-December. United was closer to the relegation zone than the Liverpool leaders.

The Portuguese led United to two trophies in their first season at the club and a respectable second-place finish in the Premier League the following season, but the mood deteriorated during his third summer at the helm of the club. # 39; team.

United signed with Fred and Diogo Dalot, an untested youngster, for about 70 million pounds, but failed to sign the last echelon, the experienced back center sought by Mourinho.

Woodward vetoed Jerome Boateng's and Diego Godin's attempts, angering Mourinho even before the ball was kicked at the start of the campaign.

And Mourinho could not resist the temptation to dig up the ranks in front of the US leader by stressing the need for a "central defender of the first order" to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

"I'm waiting for what I say is always a very important situation in the team that is the central defender. Van Dijk and De Ligt in their teams are phenomenal, "Mourinho told Russia Today.

"When you cry for a leader; they are two leaders. We are talking about the Champions League here.

Liverpool has a fantastic central defender at Van Dijk and Ajax a fantastic central defender at De Ligt.

"When you think of both together, playing for the same team, they are physically very powerful, good in the air, they look slow because they are heavy but they are not slow. They read very, very well the game to be able to anticipate.They are good with the ball, they score goals, they are fantastic.

"All the semifinal teams have the creativity here, they have a scorer here but they have a first-clbad central defender. This kid from Ligt is really very good. '

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to strengthen his defense this summer and will receive significant funds to do so.

Real Madrid star Raphael Varane is considered the "ideal" acquisition and United would be ready to break the £ 75 million that Liverpool paid to Southampton for Van Dijk to sign the French.

MORE: Manchester City determined to prevent Jadon Sancho from completing Manchester United transfer