Mitch Freeley

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has spoken exclusively to beIN SPORTS revealing that he expects at least one new signing for the side ahead of the start of the Premier League season.

Mourinho, who has been on a preseason training camp in the USA with his side and has been heavily linked with moves for England international Harry Maguire & Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic.

"I'm confident I'll get one.”

"I think two is not what I will get. I think in every pre-season it happens basically the same with probably every club, which the manager wants more. It is our nature and our way to always want more for your team.

"But club decisions are different. Normally you don't get what you want which basically happened throughout my career. If I sign one player before the window closes, that's fine." Added Mourinho.

The Portuguese coach is heading into this third season with United, and early indications had suggested that he has not been happy with his squad, especially with the challenge of pushing Manchester City to the Premier League title. Despite the chance of bringing in a player in the window, Mourinho was assured that he knew his best side for the opening game of the season against Leicester.

"More or less, I know. It's not going to be very different," Mourinho said when asked if he knew his best starting XI, with Nemanja Matic injured following surgery, while Antonio Valencia is also nursing a problem.

"We basically have the same players. The players we have bought one is a goalkeeper cover [Lee Grant], one is a 19-year-old kid, so in fact, we have one new player which is Fred, so of course, our team is not going to be very different."

Mourinho was also eager to praise the change to the transfer window dates, which will now close before the start of the Premier League season.

"I agree that when the season starts the transfer window closes," said Mourinho. "I'm not a big fan of one player starting the season with one club and then a couple of weeks later the window is open, he moves to another club and he plays against his former club - I really don’t like that.”

Although the United manager did gripe about the early start to the Premier League campaign, especially in a World Cup year. Implying that some of his key players such as Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard will not have enough time to prepare for the start of the season.

"I agree totally with the window closing at the same time as the Premier League starts. What I don’t agree with is that the Premier League starts now.

"You look at other countries with lots of players in the World Cup they start later - Spain and Italy start later. The Premier League could and should do that."

Mourinho also had his say on Paul Pogba, and his influence on the France team that lifted the World Cup, the Portuguese coach insisted that the conditions were perfect for the midfielder to flourish and that he should take this form into the Premier League season.

"The World Cup takes a month and for one month players are in a closed camp, isolated from the external world, isolated from commercial compromises, isolated from every possible influence, Mourinho said.

"They are there, just for that. Dimensions of the matches are getting bigger and bigger. When they fell they are going to the knockout phase and can win the World Cup, they close each other. It's a strong shell. They just think about football. It's the perfect habitat for a young player to grow up and flourish."

Finally, Mourinho also remarked on the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus. Mourinho managed Ronaldo during his ill-fated stint at Real Madrid and revealed his shock at the move whilst implying that something may have happened with Ronaldo behind the scenes to force the move to the current Italian champions.

“I was surprised. When you have players like Ronaldo and Messi, you think they will stay with the club forever. And you don’t think the club would be happy to lose or sell them. But you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors.”

You can watch the full interview in the video above.