The charismatic Portuguese coach is once again a free agent, and has reportedly set his sights on a sensational return to Old Trafford
"There are still people in that club, when I say people I mean some players but also some other people that are not players, that are still there when I told [Manchester] United after two months, 'with these people you are never going to do it'. And they are still there."
Jose Mourinho's recent comments on former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel's podcast 'Obi One' were typical of a man who has become a master at conjuring up excuses for his failures. The 61-year-old is one of the most decorated managers in history, but when things go wrong, he doesn't hesitate to point the finger of blame at those working behind the scenes, or indeed his players.
Roma were the latest club to lose patience with Mourinho – who never missed an opportunity to moan about having to work within a tight transfer budget at Stadio Olimpico – as he was sacked following a 3-1 loss to AC Milan that left the Giallorossi ninth in Serie A after 20 games.
Third-season syndrome kicked in for Mourinho once again as optimism gave way to toxicity in the Italian capital, and he has now been dismissed by four clubs in a row. But there will always be a route back into the game for the 'Special One', and although there is no denying he is now a relic of a bygone generation, there is still no one better at delivering short-term results.
United just so happen to be in need of a quick turnaround in fortunes, and according to the , Mourinho feels he has "unfinished business" at Old Trafford. The report even goes so far as to suggest that the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss has "made it his mission" to take charge of the Red Devils for a second time.
On first glance that will seem like a nightmare scenario to most United supporters. But Mourinho might just be the perfect man to kick off a new era under the club's new minority owners, INEOS.
Getty'People don’t know what's going on'
Mourinho reported to Ed Woodward during his time in the Old Trafford dugout, with the former executive vice-chairman handling all transfer matters in the absence of a sporting director. Woodward was regularly criticised for his reckless spending as United overpaid for high-profile names instead of taking the time to properly scout for targets, but was always backed up by the Glazers.
According to , Mourinho was also overruled on certain outgoings. The Portuguese deemed Anthony Martial surplus to requirements at the end of his second season, only for Joel Glazer to fight the Frenchman's corner, believing he was capable of becoming "the club's Pele".
Naturally, Woodward agreed with the co-chairman, and a short while after Mourinho was relieved of his managerial duties in December 2018, Martial was handed a new long-term contract. United were clearly in decline towards the end of Mourinho's reign, but he delivered the Carabao Cup and the Europa League before guiding the team to second place in the Premier League table – their best finish since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure.
Mourinho, a two-time European champion, won the Premier League on three occasions with Chelsea, and has also lifted league titles in Spain, Italy and Portugal. But he values his accomplishments at United just as highly, because he felt the people above him lacked the know-how to create sustained success at one of the world's biggest clubs.
“People might say, ‘This guy is crazy. He won 25 titles and now he says that second position with United was one of his best achievements in football’,” Mourinho told in 2019. “I keep saying this because people don’t know what is going on behind the scenes.”
AdvertisementGettyJose has been proven right
A cloud of negativity settled over Old Trafford in the first half of the 2018-19 season as Mourinho went into self-destruct mode, taking out his frustration over financial and strategic choices on his squad and colleagues. United endured their worst start to a campaign in 26 years as the manager's behaviour became more and more erratic, but incredibly, he still enjoyed support from a large section of the club's fanbase.
Chants of "Jose's right, the board is sh*t" rang around the Theatre of Dreams when United fell two goals down inside 10 minutes of a Premier League clash with Newcastle. On that day, the players also rallied behind Mourinho to stage a stirring fightback and earn a 3-2 victory, but the writing was already on the wall for the coach.
When he eventually left, United were sat sixth in the league table, but they were seventh when his successor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was dismissed in November 2021, and today they are seventh again under Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman looks destined to fill another plot in Old Trafford's managerial graveyard, having faced all of the same problems as his predecessors.
When asked if time has proved him right about United's deep-rooted issues, Mourinho told in 2022: “I’m not happy to be right. I would like to be wrong. But I knew that I was right. The first thing you have to change, for me, when things are not going right is mentality and organisation, and it was not coming. And I knew that for me to leave was not going to resolve the situation. I knew that, unfortunately."
Getty ImagesRatcliffe has restored hope
Despite the fact United's latest season is already in ruins, with the FA Cup the only realistic route to silverware left for Ten Hag's side while Champions League qualification is all but out of reach, there is finally hope for a brighter future.
That's all due to Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchasing a 25 percent stake in the club in a deal reportedly worth £1.3 billion ($1.6bn), as the Glazers have finally taken a step back from football operations after two decades of fan protests. "Our shared ambition is clear: we all want to see Manchester United back where we belong, at the very top of English, European and world football," the INEOS chairman said in a statement.
Much-maligned CEO Richard Arnold stepped down shortly before Ratcliffe's arrival, and INEOS have shown they mean serious business by moving quickly to secure his replacement – who just so happens to have spent the last 13 years of his career at Manchester City.
Omar Berrada left his role as chief football operations officer at the Etihad Stadium to fill Arnold's shoes at Old Trafford, and United say the appointment is their first major step towards "putting football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything we do". Ratcliffe has reportedly already started overhauling the club's recruitment policy, and Berrada will have a key role to play when he officially arrives in the summer, having been involved in a number of huge deals at City – including Erling Haaland's move from Borussia Dortmund.
All of this has intrigued Mourinho, with stating he would very much like to work with the new regime. The foundations for success are being laid; all that's left is to bring in a manager who can make Ratcliffe's vision a reality on the pitch.
GettyShort-term gains
Sir Alex Ferguson's glorious 27-year tenure at Old Trafford remains the benchmark to which all other managers are measured against at United, and rightly so. The Scottish maestro didn't just deliver trophies, he implemented an entertaining brand of football, always pushed for the development of academy talent, and ruled over the dressing room with an iron first.
If Ten Hag is ushered through the exits before the end of the season, most supporters will want to see a coach who shares similar values to Ferguson brought in, with former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi and Bayer Leverkusen sensation Xabi Alonso among those being linked with the post.
But in the short-term, Mourinho might just be the best candidate for the job. If United are to get straight back into the Champions League next season, they need to start winning games week in, week out again – it's as simple as that.
Mourinho doesn't bring excitement, but he does bring results. He's also peerless when it comes to masterminding cup runs, as he proved once again by taking Roma to back-to-back European finals.
It's a highly unlikely scenario, but United could do a lot worse than appointing Mourinho on an initial one or two-year deal, just to instil a winning mentality in the dressing room. And this time around, he'd have proper football people to support him instead of business-minded yes men who are only interested in the bottom line.