David De Gea unfazed by transfer reports, says Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho does not believe David De Gea has been distracted by renewed talk of a move to Real Madrid, with the Manchester United manager saying it would be irresponsible to be affected by transfer speculation.

The Portuguese’s first season in the Old Trafford hotseat is reaching a crucial juncture, as the Community Shield and EFL Cup triumphs would lose their gloss should United again miss out on the Champions League.

Mourinho has not given up on a top-four finish and the Europa League offers another route back to European football’s top table, meaning Anderlecht can expect to face a strong side in tonight’s quarter-final first leg.

However, that line-up is set to feature back-up goalkeeper Sergio Romero instead of star turn De Gea, who missed Sunday’s win at Sunderland with a minor injury only to travel with the squad to Belgium.

Mourinho is said to have become concerned that increasing talk of a summer move to Real Madrid has seen his first-choice goalkeeper lose focus, which was put to the United manager in Brussels.

“I am not interested in the speculation,” the Portuguese said. “I think if the player is [affected by speculation], he shouldn’t, because we are playing for very important things and every match for us is crucial.

“In the Premier League, we lose a match and the top four gets almost impossible. If we lose in the Europe League, we are in trouble.

“Every match demands from every one of us total focus.

“I think I don’t see David with any problem related to this.

“End of the season is a time where players can be thinking about what is going to happen with their careers, but that is the end of the season.”

De Gea has been crowned United’s player of the year for the past three seasons, but was on the brink of joining Real Madrid in 2015.

The transfer collapsed acrimoniously on deadline day in Spain and speculation is set to bubble along over the coming weeks and months, along with questions over captain Wayne Rooney’s future.

The 31-year-old, United’s all-time top scorer, has fallen down the pecking order dramatically this term and injury has kept him out of the trip to Anderlecht.

“He is not happy with his condition,” Mourinho said of Rooney, who trained on the eve of the game in Manchester.

“He is trying to work with the team, which he does, but he’s not confident, he’s not happy.

“He had bad feelings with his ankle and [was] not ready today, let’s see for the weekend or the next week.

“We don’t have many players, we need everyone with minimum conditions to play, to try to be available, but for tomorrow, no.”

Juan Mata, Phil Jones, and Chris Smalling are also out of tonight’s first leg in Belgium, where Mourinho says United need to play at their “best level” to get a positive result.

The quarter-final encounters with Anderlecht bookend a mouth-watering Premier League clash against the Portuguese’s former club Chelsea, who are romping to the title after faltering under his tutorship last season.

Mourinho insists there is no reason to play his reserves on Sunday, given the top-four remains mathematically possible — “you would kill me,” he said — and believes Champions League qualification is important if not crucial to United’s status.

“We need and we don’t need,” said Mourinho.

“We don’t need, because Manchester United’s history is so big — so much bigger than many other clubs playing in the Champions League — that if Manchester United doesn’t play in the Champions League two, three, or four years, that doesn’t affect the prestige, the dimension, and history of the club.

“So, Manchester United doesn’t need to play in the Champions League, but Manchester United wants to play, feels it is the competition adapted to the history, to the ambitions of everyone at the club, so, yes, we need to play. We need to fight with everything we have to try to play Champions League next season.

“We have to go with everything for both competitions. We still have two open doors.”