“If they think it will be easy it would be the wrong approach” - Jose Mourinho fires warning at Manchester United ahead of Europa League clash
Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho, who is currently the manager of Fenerbahce, has fired a warning shot at his previous club. The two sides are about to face off against each other in the UEFA Europa League in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday, October 24.
According to reputed sports journalist David Wheeler of the Daily Mail, Mourinho has mentioned that United can ill-afford to take Fenerbahce lightly. The Portuguese also mentioned that he expects the Red Devils to come with full strength to the Turkish shores.
"I'm not the coach of Man Utd and I don't see any reason for Man Utd to be afraid to Fenerbahce but if they think it will be easy it would be the wrong approach. I think they will come with maximum strength, that's what I would do," he said.
Mourinho was among the few successful coaches Manchester United had after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson and served the club with distinction from 2016 to 2018. After being relieved of his duties, the 61-year-old spent considerable time with Tottenham Hotspur and AS Roma before moving to Turkey.
Mourinho's greatest achievement with Manchester United was winning the Europa League in the 2016-17 season. He also won the EFL League Cup and FA Community Shield during his time at Old Trafford. However, his time in red was sparked with controversies, notably regarding his treatment of Paul Pogba.
Manchester United have drawn both their matches in the Europa League this season
The master tactician, who is known to be among the best in the world, will hope for a perfect payback against United by beating them on Thursday. Mourinho's club Fenerbahce have won one and drawn one game in the Europa League this season, while United have drawn both their games so far.
Manchester United are also under tremendous pressure to do well domestically as they are sitting in the lowly 12th position of the EPL standings with just eleven points at the moment. Despite their 2-1 win over Brentford over the weekend, manager Erik Ten Hag's job is not safe, with many new claimants pushing for their inclusion.