Jose Mourinho claims he is still trying to repair the damage caused by his Man United predecessors
Manchester United's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho has claimed Manchester United made big mistakes in the transfer market before his arrival at Old Trafford, after suggesting they bought and sold the wrong players in the years following Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
United spent big money signing players during the turbulent managerial reigns of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, with Mourinho suggesting he is still working to repair the damage caused during an unsuccessful period in the club’s history.
He also played down the theory that he is most effective as a manager in his second season at a club, as he suggested the club is in a better shape now than when he took control last summer.
“When I arrived in the first season there was already investments made in buying players, changing the squad, selling players, that you probably would have done in a different way,” he told Sky Sports.
“For sure I would have kept some of the players that were sold, for sure I would not buy some of the players that were bought.
“I just think that the second season is a good season for evolution in relation to the first season because in the first season you arrive and sometimes, like in my case, I was not even able to organise a pre-season because it had already been organised. I couldn't have one single finger of influence on it.
“In the second season, you have your influence at that level. You have better conditions to work and get those results. But you are playing against other teams whose managers are in the third or second or fourth or fifth seasons. So second may not be a big advantage.”
Mourinho went on to declare he was happy with the squad he has assembled at United and he believes the relationship between the club’s supporters and their team has changed for the better.
“At the team level I am happy. I think after one year we are a different team,” he added. “Not just because we are playing in the Champions League, which is the competition for Manchester United, but because in the Premier League we managed a good start which put us initially in the top positions in the table.
“The way we play, the way we think football, the way the fans think, the empathy between the fans and the team, the confidence levels of the players, the footballing level I am happy with what we've done so far.”
