“I miss him…” – Jose Mourinho’s comments on star shows exactly what Man United are missing

Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is currently working with several former Reds at his new club Fenerbahçe.

Jose Mourinho was manager at Manchester United between 2016 and 2018, winning the Europa League and EFL Cup during his time with the club.

The legendary coach is currently at Turkish club Fenerbahçe, after spells with AS Roma and Tottenham Hotspur followed his Old Trafford departure.

Meanwhile, at United, new boss Ruben Amorim is trying to implement a style of play that is facing difficulties in his opening weeks at the job.

Amorim, who sees fellow Portuguese coach Mourinho as an inspiration, is struggling to cope with the poor physical levels of the squad he has been handed.

Mourinho explained Fred’s importance

During his final transfer window as United boss, Mourinho only was able to bring in three players for a combined £57 million – pocket change in today’s market.

Diogo Dalot came in as a young fullback with bags of potential, while Fred was the only major signing made. Lee Grant also came in as a third-choice ‘keeper.

Many fans look back at that window as one of the worst in recent history, with United having come second in the Premier League the season prior.

Fred was barely used by Mourinho before his December sacking but has since reunited with the Portuguese boss in Turkey.

The Brazilian was criticised throughout his United career but ended up having important roles under both Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erik ten Hag.

Sold in the summer of 2023 to Fenerbahçe, the now 31-year-old has been a key figure in Mourinho’s team alongside another former United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.

Mourinho has been without Fred in his lineup six times so far this season and the Turkish team dropped points in four of those games. One was a 2-1 defeat to LOSC Lille in the Champions League qualification phase.

After that game, Mourinho admitted the importance of Fred and how he missed him in the team.

He told reporters: “I don’t like to say this but I miss Fred. He is an important player for us. We finished the first half of the tie trailing 2-1. Now it’s time to go to Kadıköy with our yellow and navy blue flags.”

Are United missing a player like Fred?

Right now, many United fans are frustrated that the team look physically shot trying to implement Amorim’s plans on the pitch.

Manuel Ugarte is receiving a great amount of praise for his work-rate and tackling ability. Some may argue that Fred could be doing a similar job.

The Brazilian was often inconsistent with the ball at his feet but offered such incredible levels off the ball. That is why he was so important under Solskjær and even found his way back into the lineup under Ten Hag at points.

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Perhaps it isn’t right to look back on players who have already been sold and think about hypotheticals, but when you look at some of the players in the current squad, their physical traits are far and away from where Amorim wants them to be.

Fred was replaced by the likes of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, two players who are considered to be outcasts in Amorim’s system due to their inability to match the physical levels required.

Despite being a couple years older, Fred is still just as fit at Fenerbahçe as he was when he was at Old Trafford and would likely fit into Amorim’s squad more than many players at the club right now.

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