JOSE COMES OUT FIGHTING
I AM the man to make United great again
JOSE MOURINHO came out fighting over his Manchester United future yesterday by claiming he will continue the fight against Manchester City.
A defiant Mourinho insisted he is happy after Sportsmail revealed he has become an increasingly detached figure and could quit at the end of the season with 12 months left on his contract.
The 54-year-old defended his commitment to the club and decision to live in the Lowry Hotel, suggesting it would make him ‘sad’ to leave. He also hit back at criticism of his sullen mood by saying he will not act ‘like a clown’ on the touchline.
‘I want to stay,’ vowed Mourinho. ‘My intention is to stay, to work, to improve and to bring the club to where it belongs.
‘I don’t see any reason not to stay. I still have a contract. In fact, I am in the middle of my contract. I am not in the last couple of months, and my desire is to stay while the owners and the board are happy with my work.
‘As I said when I arrived, I’m going to leave when the club wants me to leave, because I have no intention to leave at all.’
Mourinho has risked upsetting the board recently by calling for more investment in signings.
However, asked if he would stay longer should the Glazer family and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward offer to extend his three-year contract that runs out in June 2019, he replied: ‘Yes, I see myself here. It is just a question of what the club, the board, the owners, Mr Woodward, all want.
‘They all are happy with my contribution and they want me to stay beyond the end of this contract.
‘I repeat, I am in the middle of my contract. If I am going to sign a new one or not, of course it depends on the club, but my commitment to the club is total and I want to stay.’
When it was put to Mourinho that he has never stayed more than three years at any of his previous six clubs, he answered: ‘Look to my history and see how many teams I built, it’s as simple as that. I dedicate myself so strongly to every one of my clubs. I arrive, I wear the shirt and in that moment it becomes my club. I’ve come here in a moment where it’s more difficult to make history, so people look at me as Jose who came to Chelsea in 2004. I won three Premier Leagues, cups, I won lots of things.
‘So probably that history makes people connect me there more. But my past is Chelsea and my present is Manchester United. Hopefully my future is Manchester United too.’
In response to suggestions that his downbeat demeanour in recent weeks suggests he has lost his hunger, Mourinho appeared to take another swipe at rivals Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte.
‘Because I don’t behave as a clown on the touchline, it means I lost my passion?’ he said. ‘I prefer to do it the way I do it. Much more mature, better for my team and myself. You don’t have to behave like a crazy guy on the touchline. The way a person is dedicated to his work, not what you do in front of the cameras.’
Mourinho was clearly irked at his commitment being questioned after Sportsmail revealed that he has spent an increasing amount of time at his London family home. His decision to remain in a hotel since moving to Manchester in June 2016 has consistently raised doubts over his long-term future.
‘If the fans want me to be comfortable, that’s the way I feel comfortable,’ he added. ‘I am very lazy. I like to arrive in the hotel. If they are worried about me being comfortable and happy and supported, I really am.
‘If they want me to be in a house that I don’t like, lonely, away from my assistants, then I would be a sad guy — and sad guys don’t work well.’
Mourinho admitted that the infrastructure at United was not what he expected when he took the job. He is unhappy with the club’s recruitment policy, among other things.
‘Help, yes. Commitment, yes. Conditions in place is a different thing,’ he said. But it’s part of my job to create conditions. If a manager leaves a club one day even without big success, but creates conditions for the next one to have success, it’s an important part of the job. I’m trying to work also for the future of the club, not just myself.’
The issue overshadowed United’s FA Cup third-round tie at home to Derby County tonight.
Mourinho confirmed that Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini are available, and that Michael Carrick has returned to training. United’s club captain, 36, has not played since a minor operation to correct an irregular heartbeat after he complained of feeling unwell following a Carabao Cup game in September.