I Didn’t Have Same Support From Man United As Ten Hag – Mourinho

Ex-Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has sensationally claimed that the board did not lend him the same support they have shown Erik ten Hag.

During his time at Old Trafford, the Portuguese strategist led the Red Devils to both Europa League and Carabao Cup victories between 2016 and 2018, in addition to finishing second in the Premier League. But in December 2018, following a Premier League loss to Liverpool that dropped the team to sixth place and 11 points outside of a Champions League finish, he was mercilessly sacked.

READ ALSO: Man United Project Is Going In Right Direction – Ten Hag

With two games remaining, United is currently 16 points behind Aston Villa in fourth place and sits seventh in the standings. The fact that they have only triumphed once in their previous five games in the English top division and needed a penalty shootout to defeat Championship team Coventry City in the FA Cup quarterfinals speaks much about their current bad form. Nevertheless, Ten Hag is still in the driver’s seat and will probably stay there at least through the end of the season.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Mourinho lamented the absence of robust professional support during his stint, which he feels that Ten Hag is now benefiting from.

“My relationship with [former chief executive] Ed Woodward was good. Good as in the personal point of view,” Mourinho said. “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. In some moments, I felt if they trusted me and believed in my experience things could be different.”

Mourinho fell out with several senior players in the dressing room, including Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba and Bastian Schweinsteiger, as many did not agree with the manager’s methods. Most of the players from his time have departed the club but Martial and Shaw continue to be on United’s books. Although the 61-year-old coach did not explicitly mention names, he said: “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 of what I consider not the best professional profile for a club of a certain dimension. But I did my job there. Time always tells the truth. I would love Manchester United to succeed.”

If Ten Hag leaves United at the conclusion of the current season, he may rejoin his old team Ajax for the 2024–25 campaign. The Premier League team has been linked to current Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel, who is set to depart the team this summer, and is rumoured to be looking at options on the market.