Roma boss Jose Mourinho claims there are still current players at Man Utd who he told the club’s hierarchy they would “never” win with.
Mourinho won the League Cup and Europa League in his first season as Red Devils boss with the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager at Old Trafford for two-and-a-half seasons.
Only four players remain from his time at the club with Luke Shaw, Antony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay all still playing under Erik ten Hag.
It has been reported that Mourinho wanted to sell Martial while he was at Man Utd, while his relationship with England international Shaw was often strained.
Mourinho would often single out Shaw for criticism but he did in 2021 that he was maybe “too harsh” on the Man Utd left-back.
The former Man Utd boss told talkSPORT: “Maybe I was too harsh with him, maybe he was not ready for that.
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“The injury was such an incredible injury but I think in this moment the country looks to him and deservedly as a proper left-back for the national team from my side I can only say congratulations to him because he did it by himself for sure, with the coaches of the club and the national team.
“I think that he has more to give because his potential is good and now he is defending well and knows how to defend inside which was a weakness for him and when he goes forward the team loses the ball, his recovery back shows how much better intensity [he has] going forward, more intensity, more crosses. I think he was good.”
And, speaking to former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, Mourinho criticised Man Utd for still keeping players and “people” at the club that he warned them about in 2016.
Mourinho told Mikel’s Obi One podcast: “There are still people in that club, and when I say people I mean some players but also some other people that are not players, that are still there when I told [United] after two months: With these people, you are never going to do it. And they are still there.”
Martial and Shaw are the most likely players that Mourinho is talking about despite recent criticism of Rashford’s performances for Man Utd.
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
