Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is unfazed by Alvaro Morataโs imminent move to Chelsea, and issued a challenge to Romelu Lukaku.
Real Madrid and Chelsea have agreed a fee for Morata, who was also a target for United during the close-season.
Both Premier League clubs were also believed to be chasing Lukaku, with United signing the striker for a reported ยฃ75-million from Everton.
Speaking on Wednesday, Mourinho said he had little interest in his former clubโs movements as he challenged Lukaku to prove his worth at the top level, including the Champions League.
โIโm not interested in what Chelsea Football Club does, really,โ he told a news conference.
โWe needed a striker. With Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] in his best condition we needed one to give cover, to give options, him and Marcus [Rashford] was not enough, especially after Zlatanโs injury.
โWe got a big player, a player that I can compare with what he was a few years ago because he worked with me a few months like four or five years ago. His development was very, very good.
โWe think we have a player that is now a top player in Europe, has to prove it at the highest level. There is always this point of you have to prove it at the highest level and now he has to do it for Manchester United, he has to do it in Champions League matches, but I think he has amazing qualities.
โI think with Chelsea it was obvious they were going to sign a striker especially after the situation with the manager [Antonio Conte] and Diego [Costa].
โIt was clear they were going to sign a striker, they did it with Alvaro and Alvaro is a very good player for them.โ
United face rivals Manchester City at the International Champions Cup on Thursday.
โ This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za