Manchester United head coach Jose Mourinho had reportedly blocked Tottenham Hotspur's deadline day approach on midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin as the new manager is keen on keeping the Frenchman at the Old Trafford for the long term.
The 26-year-old France international was acquired by former United boss Louis van Gaal last summer from Southampton for a total transfer fee of £27 million. He had a decent run with the Red Devils during his first season, appearing in a total of 39 games in all competitions and scoring one goal in the process.
Mourinho is also happy about Schneiderlin's performance under him so far, preferring to pair the Frenchman with either Paul Pogba, Michael Carrick, or Marouane Fellaini in the back midfield of his 4-2-3-1 formation during games.
Daily Mail Online indicated that "Tottenham had a move" for the 6-foot-1 Zellwiller, France native at an undisclosed amount, but their proposal was "blocked" by United's Portuguese mentor, telling the player that "he was in his plans" for this season and beyond.
Mourinho explained that he needs "squad cover" this year as the Red Devils will compete for "two domestic cups and Europa League".
The report noted that the Spurs could come back in the winter transfer window for an improved offer for Schneiderlin and it remains to be seen whether Mourinho will once again reject the bid or if the Frenchman will request a transfer should he end up wanting more first-team time on the pitch.
Caught Offside reported that Tottenham went on to buy Newcastle United's Moussa Sissoko for £30 million after the Red Devils' rejection, but the Spurs remain keen on snagging Schneiderlin when another opportunity comes.
The 53-year-old boss said to have "handed him a lifeline" with his recent comments that he wanted to keep Schneiderlin and that the midfielder should be "desperate to prove his worth to the Portuguese tactician".
Meanwhile, Mourinho is said to be concerned about the recent injury blow to his new midfielder signing, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, after the Armenian went down following a collision with Marek Suchý while playing for his national team during a friendly match against the Czech Republic on Wednesday.
The Special One is said to be anxious about Mkhitaryan's availability for their highly-anticipated Manchester derby against Pep Guardiola's City on Sep. 10. At the moment, nothing serious was reported about the Armenia international's condition.