Jose Mourinho kept tabs on Chelsea youngster Patrick Bamford with help from One Direction's Niall Horan

Mourinho and Horan

Jose Mourinho is at it again. This time he used One Direction’s Niall Horan to keep tabs on Chelsea youngster Patrick Bamford.

Horan is a huge fan of Championship side Derby County, where Bamford was on loan, and repeatedly kept an eye on the forward on the behest of Mourinho.

‘Niall from One Direction is a big Derby fan, he came down to the club and I was talking to him,’ Bamford says.

‘Niall said: “Mourinho knows all about you, he texts me all the time.” I said: “No he doesn’t.” He showed me his phone, and because he was doing his treatment at Chelsea, for his knee injury, he knew all the Chelsea boys and Mourinho.

‘And he had texts from Mourinho whenever I scored, saying “Bamford again!” That made me smile. That was the first time I knew that Mourinho knew about me.

Horan must have had only good things to report as Bamford has performed well at Derby, scoring 8 goals in 21 appearances and Chelsea will definitely have him in their plans next season.