"What Ten Hag has in his time at Manchester United, I didn’t have" - Jose Mourinho explains why he was unfairly treated at Old Trafford
Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has claimed that he was unfairly treated during his time at Old Trafford. The Portuguese managerial great has lamented that he did not get enough support and trust from the board, something current manager Erik ten Hag is enjoying.
Mourinho took charge at Manchester United in the summer of 2016 and was sacked by the Red Devils midway through the 2018-19 season. While the 'Special One' was certainly the most successful manager at the club in their post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, Mourinho did not have his best time at the club.
The 61-year-old, who achieved a lot of success with clubs like Chelsea, Porto, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid, has admitted that he was let down by the Manchester United hierarchy. Mourinho claimed that he shared a good personal relationship with former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, although they were not always aligned with each other professionally.
Mourinho was quoted as saying by The Telegraph:
“My relationship with [former chief executive] Ed Woodward was good. Good as in the personal point of view. Even now we send an SMS. But from a professional point of view it was not the best. I am who I am. I am a football man.
"Ed comes from a different background and what Ten Hag has in his time at Manchester United I didn’t have. I didn’t have that level of support. I didn’t have that level of trust. So I left sad, because I felt I was in the beginning of the process."
Mourinho also insisted that he did the best he could during his time at Old Trafford and still wishes the club well. He added:
"In some moments, I felt if they trusted me and believed in my experience, things could be different. There are still a couple of players still there I didn’t want five or six years ago. I think they represent a little bit what I consider not the best professional profile to a club of a certain dimension. But I did my job there. Time always tells the truth. I would love Manchester United to succeed.”
Manchester United won three trophies while Jose Mourinho was in charge at Old Trafford and also finished second in the Premier League table once. The former Chelsea manager is currently without a job since being sacked by AS Roma in January 2024.
Jamie Carragher reckons Erik ten Hag will be sacked by Manchester United in the summer
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher reckons Erik ten Hag will be sacked by Manchester United in the summer. Carragher predicted the Dutchman to face the sacking in the aftermath of the Red Devils' embarrassing win against Coventry City in the recent FA Cup semi-finals.
The Sky Sports pundit said:
"I think that result today has just cost a Man United manager his job. I don't see how he stays, I don't. It's just performance after performance and that is just like (gestures). I would imagine that dressing room is probably the most embarrassed dressing room you could probably remember of a team who has won a big game."
Carragher added:
"Can you imagine that dressing room when you go in they're all sat there looking each other, they don't know whether to celebrate, is it a big thing that you're in a cup final and got through? They're probably all just sat there looking at each other."
Erik ten Hag joined Manchester United in the summer of 2022 following his excellent stint at Ajax. However, the Dutchman has not been able to live up to the expectations.