Leicester City’s manager, Claude Puel has stated that Manchester United’s pursuit of English defender Harry Maguire was simply to destabilize them.
The two teams open the Premier League which kicks off next week Friday and Puel believes the Maguire rumours are only a way to distract them.
Speaking to the Press today, the Leicester manager said “I think perhaps United wanted to make trouble before our game,”
He added; “It’s not the thing to try to make trouble but I think he’s a better player for us.
“It’s our intent to keep him and just a few days before the start of the season it would not be a good thing for the squad, for confidence and for Leicester Football Club.”
Puel has so far been able to hold on to most of the club’s stars with only Riyad Mahrez making a move to Manchester City for £60m ($78.5m) in July.
“If we keep our best players we can do something interesting,” he said. “We lost Riyad and we know the importance of this player but we cannot lose another important player for this team.”
Maguire who reached the Semi-finals of the World Cup with England will only return to the club next week which means he and English teammate, Jamie Vardy, are unlikely to feature for Leicester against Manchester United.
United had hoped to purchase Maguire but were turned off by the £75m ($99m) valuation of the player.
Mourinho has already claimed that United are probably only going to buy one more player before the window closes on the 9th of August.
“I think two is not what I will get.” he said, “I think in every pre-season it happens basically the same with probably every club, which the manager wants more. It is our nature and our way to always want more for your team.
“But club decisions are different. Normally you don’t get what you want which basically happened throughout my career. If I sign one player before the window closes, that’s fine.”
Leicester also opened up last season when they lost 4-3 to Arsenal.
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