Mourinho was
keen for United to sign Renato Sanches but it is understood the club
dithered over concluding a deal out of the fear it would have confirmed Louis van Gaal's protracted departure.
Woodward sent scouts to extensively monitor Portugal midfielder Sanches before he joined Bayern Munich from Benfica on May 10 and United indicated they decided against signing him because Van Gaal was not interested.
That, however, was a smokescreen, since
United refused to publicly undermine Van Gaal and could have clinched a deal for Sanches a week before he agreed to move to Bayern.