Jose Mourinho is still hoping to claim a Premier League winners’ medal with Manchester United ahead of facing his former employers tomorrow night.
Mourinho is now in charge of Turkish side Fenerbahce, who meet United in Istanbul in the Europa League, but is still hoping to add one more piece of silverware to his collection from his time at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese was in typically mischievous mood when he faced the media this afternoon, suggesting he could be a beneficiary in the unlikely event of Manchester City being stripped of the title they won in 2018 if they are found guilty of breaching financial fair play regulations.
He said: “We won the Europa League [at United] and finished second in the Premier League. I think we still have a chance to win that league, maybe they punish Manchester City with points, we win that league. They have to pay me the bonus and give me the medal.”
Istanbul is calling 📞🇹🇷#MUFC || #UEL pic.twitter.com/jCtc3iAiPd
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 22, 2024
Mourinho spent two-and-a-half years in charge of United – between 2016 and 2018 – but joined predecessors David Moyes and Louis van Gaal in failing to repeat the success enjoyed by Sir Alex Ferguson.
The club are going through a difficult patch at the moment with Erik ten Hag seemingly permanently on the brink of the sack despite a summer of heavy investment.
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Mourinho notes United keeping faith in Ten Hag
Asked if he thought the club had changed in the six years since his departure, Mourinho said: “Honestly I didn’t lose one minute thinking about it. I wish the best to Manchester United since the moment I left. I left with a good feeling for the club and its fans and I want the best for them.
“If things aren’t going amazingly well for them, it’s not something that makes me happy. But I have no time, it doesn’t make sense for me to be thinking about what happened, what didn’t happen.
“What happened for sure is that they now keep faith in the coach [Ten Hag], supporting the coach, who is staying season after season. That means stability and means trust, giving him conditions to keep his job. That was a different simulation to me.”
He added: “Maybe you English guys think I’m bluffing, playing mind-games. I’m not playing anything – they have a better team than results are showing.
“I studied them the maximum I could. We watched everything in the Premier League, [and previous Europa League games against] Twente and Porto – there is work there.
“They will succeed sooner or later. Hopefully sooner and before one day I go back to the Premier League and they become my opponents. At this moment they are just my opponents for one match.”
📸 Today’s training.
🔜 #FBvMUN #UEL pic.twitter.com/YQQMeHUv27
— Fenerbahçe English (@Fenerbahce_EN) October 21, 2024
United and Spurs are the teams to beat in the Europa League – Mourinho
Mourinho said United and another of his former clubs, Tottenham, were the two strongest sides in the competition but said it wouldn’t be easy for Ten Hag and his men in what is sure to be a hostile atmosphere tomorrow night.
“I think they know it’s not an easy game for them,” he said. “If they come thinking it’ll be easy, it is the wrong approach and I don’t think that will be the approach. They know the game can be difficult for them.
“I think they will come with maximum strength, I don’t think they are going to rotate players before next weekend’s match, they come full strength, that’s what I’d do.”
Fener are fourth in the Super Lig table after being held to a 2-2 draw at Samsunspor at the weekend. They twice went ahead through Dusan Tadic and Allan Saint-Maximin but could not hold on.
United enjoyed their first win in six games on Saturday after beating Brentford 2-1 at Old Trafford.
