Jose Mourinho has made a good start to life in north London with Tottenham Hotspur, but is already reportedly pining for a key player from one of his former clubs.

According to reports in Belgium, Mourinho has been in contact with Marouane Fellaini to let him know that signing him is his main priority in the January transfer window.

Fellaini left Manchester United in January 2019 after five-and-a-half years with the club, moving to Shandon Luneng in the Chinese Super League. Since then, his performances have been strong, with the Belgian scoring 12 goals and adding five assists in 32 games.

In his first interviews as Spurs manager, Mourinho was quick to talk about the strength of the squad he had inherited from Mauricio Pochettino. However, he’s concerned he doesn’t have a player of Fellaini’s profile, hence the desire to tempt him back to the Premier League.

Fellaini was never the most popular player at Old Trafford, and towards the end he became emblematic of the more rough-shod elements of Mourinho’s time at the club.

Though initially signed by David Moyes, Fellaini became a key part of Jose Mourinho’s tenure at Old Trafford, with his physicality allowing Mourinho to play a direct and aggressive game.

Their relationship is best illustrated by a memento Mourinho kept in his office whilst at Manchester United. When United were playing Young Boys in 2018, the game was goalless until injury time, when Fellaini grabbed the winner.

Unable to hide his emotions, Mourinho picked up a crate of water bottles and threw them to the ground. According to The Athletic, Mourinho kept the crate in his office as a reminder of that victory.

Fellaini isn’t the only veteran player Mourinho has been linked with. He reportedly sent scouts to watch Edin Dzeko at Roma, thinking the Bosnian could be a perfect backup for Harry Kane.