Jose Mourinho reveals true feelings about Man United as major sporting director update provided

Jose Mourinho has spoken openly about his time at Manchester United and his feelings on the club five years after being sacked.

Mourinho, 60, is currently the manager of AS Roma, who sit seventh in the Serie A, and he won the club their first European trophy when he lifted the Europa Conference League in 2021/22.

Known as one of the best managers of all time, Mourinho’s time at Old Trafford was not perfect. He did win the Europa League and the Carabao Cup, as well as the Community Shield, but it ended on a sour note when he was sacked.

Yet, the Portuguese manager still has love towards the club and believes that his achievements were great considering the limitations at United from within.

“I don’t have regrets because I gave everything and did the maximum I could do. I love the club, I love the fans, the history is something you have to respect and appreciate,” Mourinho told The Obi One Podcast.

“The second position [2017/18] is still the best after Sir Alex Ferguson, the European cup is still the biggest achievement in the past ten years or so. I did my best and it’s not in my nature to go back and speak about – I like to speak about the good things of the past.

“But there are still people at that club and when I say people, I say some players, but also some other people who aren’t players, they’re still there and after two months with these people, you are never going to do it [succeed].”

The ‘Special One’ is never one to hold back and his comments on both players and those behind the scenes aren’t so surprising, especially considering the state the club has been in since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

There seem to be changes beginning to be made as Sir Jim Ratcliffe prepares to take over the footballing operations at the club. The latest reports state that there has been a shift in the sporting director search.

Whilst Paul Mitchell, formally of Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton, has been touted as the favourite for the position in recent months, the Manchester Evening News have now reported that Newcastle’s Dan Ashworth is now Ineos’ top choice for the position at Old Trafford.

Ashworth has done wonders at St James’ Park, and it would be difficult to prise him away from the club, however, his close relationship with Ratcliffe’s right-hand man, Sir David Brailston, could be an influence.

Jose would’ve certainly liked to work with an esteemed sporting director when he was at United, with many of his worries when he was at Old Trafford being with how transfer activity was being dealt with.

However, Mourinho’s ultimate memory of his time with the club seems to be the relationship that he built with a fanbase which is different to many of the other clubs that he’s managed before.

“The fans know how much I love the club,” he added. “I went there once with Sky, I was in the box and the whole stadium turned to me, applauding and singing for me.

“If that happens when I go to Inter, Madrid, Porto or Chelsea, you say ok this is because of everything we won, but when you got to Man United, a club with that history and they do that for a coach, who won a Europa League, a cup, a second position and a charity shield, you arrive at the conclusion they know that I gave everything that I could.”