“I went too far” – Manchester United player labels Jose Mourinho a “hero”, recalling training argument

Scott McTominay has recalled a time Jose Mourinho saved him from the wrath of senior Manchester United players, labelling him a “hero”.

Although Jose Mourinho certainly caused mixed opinions while he was boss of Manchester United, one decision the Portuguese manager made that has had a lasting impact is the emergence of Scott McTominay.

McTominay made his debut at the club during Jose Mourinho’s first season at Old Trafford, coming on away from home against Arsenal in May 2017, shortly before the club won the Europa League.

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McTomiany has since gone on to make over 200 appearances for the Red Devils and has played a vital part in Erik ten Hag’s second season in charge, scoring many crucial goals despite mainly being a midfielder.

Speaking to FourFourTwo, the now-Scotland international has revealed that he sees Mourinho as a “hero” in his life following his time with the famed Premier League-winning manager.

“There’s a picture in my grandparents’ house of me making my debut in the Champions League, standing beside Jose Mourinho,” McTominay said.

“They loved him because he gave me that moment. He gave me that initial opportunity, so he will always be a hero of mine. I’ll be forever grateful for everything that he did for me.”

Continuing, the Scotsman then recalled a time when Mourinho gave him some key advice after he argued with the senior players during training.

“I remember that when I first started training with the first team, I got into an argument with a couple of the senior players over the way a small-sided game was going,” McTominay explained.

“Ashley Young was one of them, and, trust me, he can handle himself. I was only 17 or 18 at the time, but I wasn’t happy that our team was losing, and maybe I went too far.

“Jose pulled me aside and said: ‘You can’t speak to the senior professionals like that.’ He told me that they would respect me for standing up for myself and having that fire in the belly, but I had to get them onside first.

“I think he knew my reaction came from a good place – because I wanted to do well. It gave me a lot to think about.”