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BEIJING. — Jose Mourinho has insisted Manchester United are aiming to win the English Premier League soccer title in his first season in charge as manager. United have not won the title since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and finished last season a full 15 points off the current champions Leicester City. A fifth-place finish also meant United would not be in the Champions League next season, but Mourinho revealed his squad would be aiming much higher than just securing a return to Europe’s elite competition.

“I want to be champion,” said Mourinho. “A big evolution in the team, without being champion as somebody else was very strong, would not be a disappointment. “But to say before the season starts that the top four is the target? The top four is not the target. We want to play to be champions.”

Louis van Gaal left the club in May two years into his three-year contract with just one piece of silverware to show for his work and Mourinho was also handed a three-year deal when he arrived. — Sky Sports.