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United have fallen off the high-pedestal they stood on in recent years, but former boss Mourinho opined that the once-mighty Red Devils would succeed sooner or later, ahead of the UEFA Europa League game between Fenerbahce and United.
Jose Mourinho. (X)
Premier League side Manchester United travel to Turkey to take on Fenerbahce in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday as the Red Devils are slated to have a reunion with old boss Jose Mourinho, now the gaffer of the Turkish giants.
Mourinho led United to League Cup and Europa League titles during his tenure with the Mancunian side between 2016 and 2018 but was sacked from the side after the teams’ showing dwindled towards the end of his time with the Reds.
United are yet to win the Premier League crown since Sir Alex Ferguson managed the feat in the year 2013 before stepping down from the role of gaffer. The most successful side in England has tried to restore glory days with multiple managers at the helm since Ferguson’s departure, but have not managed to finish atop the English domestic flight in over a decade now.
Ahead of the game, Mourinho expressed that the once-mighty Red Devils would succeed sooner or later.
“Maybe you English guys think I’m bluffing, think I am playing mind games. I’m not playing anything, they have a better team than the results are showing,” the Portuguese boss said.
“I studied them the maximum I could with my staff and my analysts. We watched everything in the Premier League, we watched everything in the two matches, Twente and Porto, there is work there,” he added.
“They will succeed sooner or later. Hopefully sooner and hopefully before one day I go back to the Premier League and they become my opponents,” Mourinho added.
“At this moment they are just my opponents for one match.”
When asked if he tried to evaluate why the Red Devils haven’t been able to clinch the PL crown in a while, Mourinho said that he does hasn’t pondered over it as his managerial duties take up most of his time.
“Honestly, I didn’t lose one minute thinking about it. I wish the best to Man Utd since the moment I left,” he stated.
“I left with a good feeling for the club, with a good feeling for the fans and I want the best for them, so if things are not going amazingly well for them it’s not something that makes me happy, but at the same time I have no time,” the 61-year-old added.
Mourinho also added that the management providing the manager with time to work his wonders with the club is an essential step in building a champion side and that the United board have been patient with Erik ten Hag since his arrival at the club.
“What happened for sure, because it’s very objective, is that they kept faith with the coach, they support the coach, who is staying season after season and that means stability, means trust and they are giving him conditions to keep developing his job,” he said.
“That was a difference in relation to me because as you know we won the Europa League, we finished second in the Premier League,” Mourinho added.
Mourinho also added that PL sides Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs are the two favourites to clinch the UEL citing the sides’ potential. He lauded the standards in England and stated that his side would do their very best against one of the top teams in the competition.
“One thing are the results that Manchester United are having and another thing is the potential of the team. The potential of the team is high,” the Fenerbahce boss added.
“If I have to say now which are the two biggest candidates to win the Europa League, I think it’s easy, Manchester United and Tottenham.”
“The Premier League is a different level of quality, intensity, pace, tactical culture, a different level of everything.”
“Tomorrow, I think we are going to play against one of the two strongest teams,” he signed off.
