Manchester United target Fabinho eager to work under Jose Mourinho again

Monaco midfielder Fabinho would jump at the opportunity to work under Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho again.

Fabinho, one of the stars of the thrilling Monaco side that won the French league title and reached the Champions League semi-finals last season, has been intensely linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent days. While IBTimes UK understands the club are not currently close to agreeing a deal with the French side, the Brazil midfielder has been helpfully fuelling talk of the move himself, recently admitting it would be "very tempting" to join the Premier League side.

Fabinho has continued that charm offensive, spelling out his desire to play under the Portuguese coach once again in an interview with ESPN Brasil.

When asked if he would like to play under the United boss, he replied: "He is an excellent manager. No doubt."

Fabinho did explain however there are a number of managers he would like to one day work under, including Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid bosses Zinedine Zidane and Diego Simeone.

"Managers, I would also like to work with great managers to learn more about football, learn new things," he said. "There are great managers in football."

Those comments come right off the back of an interview with Esporte Interativo where Fabinho suggested he would accept an offer to join United this summer.

If Mourinho invites me [to join United], it would be very tempting, but, first of all, I would have to talk with my agent and with Monaco to make the things right. But Manchester United is a great team, and I would think about it, for sure."

Fabinho briefly worked under Mourinho during his spell at Real Madrid and was handed his senior debut for Los Bancos by the former Chelsea manager in 2013.

While the 23-year-old certainly seems in favour of a move to Manchester, the club do remain linked with other midfield targets. Tottenham Hotspur's Eric Dier was part of a four-man shortlist reported by The Times in May, while Chelsea enforcer Nemanja Matic could be another option. Despite reports to the contrary, United do not have a verbal agreement in place with the Serbia international, however.