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Mourinho didn't see plane protest, but declares 'Woodward won 2-0'

Jan Kruger / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Despite the plane being audible during a minute's silence in memory of Burnley legend Jimmy McIlroy, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho insists he didn't see the protest banner that was dragged over Turf Moor on Sunday.

The Red Devils relieved some pressure on their embattled boss with a 2-0 win up the M66, but many of the headlines relating to the game were devoted to the "Ed Woodward - A specialist in failure" message that trailed the aircraft circling the stadium.

"I didn't see planes. I am not looking to the sky unless I am asking the guy for help," Mourinho said, as quoted by BBC Sport's Simon Stone.

"Ed Woodward won this afternoon. Ed Woodward won 2-0."

Woodward - the executive vice-chairman at United and representative of the Glazer family, who own the club - has been identified by some fans as the fall guy for a frustrating transfer window and two recent defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively. Stone understands Mourinho's wish to sell Anthony Martial and recruit a new defender were blocked by the Woodward-chaired board in the summer, prompting secretive supporters' group "A Voice from the Terrace" to pay for the Woodward-baiting flyover. The phrase "a specialist in failure" was borrowed from a scathing assessment Mourinho made of former Arsenal handler Arsene Wenger in February 2014.

However, Woodward yields the power to dismiss Mourinho, which may explain the latter's reluctance to comment on fan unrest with the former accountant. There are reported plans to appoint a technical director at Old Trafford soon, thereby tending to the apparent discord between Mourinho and the board, while offering the tactician a sounding board when it comes to summer and January business.

One rumor that loitered during the summer was that Cristiano Ronaldo was being eyed for a potential return to Stretford. Mourinho dismissed the speculation, saying that he didn't really consider a move before his compatriot's €100-million switch from Real Madrid to Juventus.

"Cristiano was never on my table to say yes or no to Cristiano to come to us," Mourinho said on Sunday. "It was never on the table."

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