Jose Mourinho will make Manchester United's defensive stability his No 1 priority – Benni McCarthy

Jose Mourinho will make defensive stability his No 1 priority at Manchester United, according to former FC Porto striker Benni McCarthy. The Portuguese tactician officially took charge at Old Trafford earlier in July, after agreeing to join the Red Devils in May.

The former Inter Milan and Chelsea manager replaced Louis van Gaal as the Dutchman was relieved of his duties after he guided the 20-time English champions to FA Cup success. Since Mourinho was announced as Van Gaal's successor, United have completed three signings including that of defender Eric Bailly, striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

McCarthy played under the ex-Chelsea boss when he was at Porto, where he scored 20 goals in 23 league appearances and also won the Champions League with the Portuguese outfit. The former South Africa international has given an insight on what United fans can expect from Mourinho's side.

"Defence is the priority for Jose. Teams haven't been afraid to play against Manchester United like they used to be," McCarthy told FourFourTwo.

"Even though their defence didn't concede so many goals [last season], it still looked leaky and teams knew they'd get chances against them.

"He wants his teams to be very disciplined. It's not all attack, attack, attack. He's cautious, but makes sure opponents can't break you down easily. He'll be very well prepared on opponents, better than anyone," he explained.

McCarthy also went on to suggest that a player would get regular playing time and would excel under Mourinho, given that he listens to 53-year-old's instructions. The former Porto striker also went on to suggest that he disagrees with the suggestion that the United manager was against promoting young players.

"No one should be fearful of him, unless they don't do as they're told and keep repeating mistakes. If you're willing to learn under Mourinho, you'll do well. Footballers like waking up in the morning and looking forward to training with him," he said.

"[Wayne] Rooney, Anthony Martial and definitely Marcus Rashford will benefit. People say he doesn't like young players, but I disagree with that. We had so many young players at Porto, youngsters who became great players. At Madrid, Di Maria, Isco, Jese and Raphael Varane were all young too," he added.