Jose Mourinho loved spending time at Manchester United and talks about rumors of replacing Erik ten Hag with Rio Ferdinand.
José Mourinho loved his time at Manchester United, but he won't be returning to the bench anytime soon.
The recently fired Roma joined Rio Ferdinand in VIBE with FIVEand he recalled his time as boss of Old Trafford with candor and affection.
The Portuguese won Carabao Cup and Europa League in his first season with the club, but only lasted just over two years before being sacked in December 2018.
Arriving as one of Europe's elite managers after winning titles at Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid, he enjoyed more success than any United manager since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013 and said finishing second in the Premier League League in 2018 was one of his greatest achievements in football.
“I loved it, I loved my time there,” he said. “I was very proud to go there.
“I was even more proud when a couple of years later I returned as a commentator for Sky with Roy Keane and I felt the reaction of the crowd. I was like 'wow'.
“I always felt like we were together while I was there, but that reaction touched me. I loved my time there.
“The club, the history, everything, to be a coach in the same club as Sir Alex, you have to feel it, you have to feel the pride and responsibility and I felt it.”
He continued: “I was very, very proud to be there and it wasn't easy, I don't think the media helped me.
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“It was not with the intention of harm, but rather because people did not understand the dimension of the work and the particular difficulties.”
Mourinho went on to explain those difficulties, specifically the lack of cohesion between executives and owners.
He also took time to defend the former CEO Ed Woodwardwho worked above him and then stepped aside in 2022.
Mourinho explained: “The manager was in a hybrid position because in the previous years everything was clear with the owners, Sir Alex and David Gill, that was changing and then the structure was not fluid.
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“When people criticize Ed Woodward's work, I don't like it because to me he is a good man, but simply a man who was like a fish out of water. Very intelligent, very educated, very correct, but not prepared for the sporting aspect.
“For a coach not to have direct communication with the owners and not have a structure that shares the same principles and the same ideas was not easy and had consequences on many levels, but I did the best I could.
“I love the club, I love the fans, I hope everything goes well, I'm waiting for Man United to become the Man United I fell in love with.”
Like Mourinho, current manager Erik ten Hag won the Carabao Cup in his first season in charge and is now feeling the pressure in some quarters.
Questioned about the rumors that claim Mourinho is desperate to return to Old Trafford, where he has “unfinished business”, saying: “No, it's not true. No no no.”
United are currently sixth in the Premier League and are still in contention to finish in the top four.
