MY PLAYERS ARE PHENOMENAL

Mourinho: Strong bond with squad is a foundation for greatness

JOSE MOURINHO has opened up on the bond with his Manchester United players that he believes can help him take the club back to the top.

Mourinho has carved a reputation over the years as a tough, abrasive, provocative coach, his clinical approach bringing him success wherever he has managed.

But the self-appointed Special One has struck up a rapport with his United squad he has arguably not had with players since he arrived in England with Chelsea back in 2004.

Then it was the understanding with stars like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba that formed the basis of the Blues’ success in Mourinho’s first spell at Stamford Bridge.

Now, at United, it is the bond developed with the likes of captain Michael Carrick (right), Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford that is driving Mourinho towards fresh glory in his career.

“I like the guys,” he said, speaking during a break from United’s pre-season tour of the US.

“We’re not the best squad in the world and don’t have the best players in the world or, if we do, then we have some – not eight, nine or 10, like some other big clubs.

“But I like them all. I like to work with them, I like to live with them and I like them. That’s something during your career that doesn’t happen every season.

“It’s difficult to like players the way I like these guys. In teams, there are always guys you like a lot and others you don’t enjoy so much.

“You don’t like their personality. But these guys are phenomenal, to live with them is phenomenal. They are big friends and good guys.

“I have, to be honest, what makes me feel like these are my players.”

Mourinho (talking to his team during training in Washington DC, above) led United to success last season, winning the EFL Cup and Europa League, despite finishing sixth in the Premier League – 24 points behind champions Chelsea. That Prem finish, despite the Europa League win, bringing with it entry to the Champions League, fostered a perception United had failed to advance as expected under Mourinho. With 15 draws in the Premier League, 10 of them at Old Trafford, and just 54 league goals scored, the Portuguese was castigated for a perceived lack of progress in his first season at the Reds helm. But the 54-year-old believes he has taken United forward as a squad in his first year in charge and has put in place the foundations for sustained success at Old Trafford.

“What we did last season is what gets into your eyes,” said Mourinho. “But I know my job was much more than just the success in some competitions and being unsuccessful in the Premier League.

“My work is not just about arriving at a team and developing it to attack, to reach football targets and objectives, it was much more than that.

“It was to go into the structure and to try to adapt the structure around the football team to a new dynamic.

“It was the same at Real Madrid, a big club with big expectations, but one in a difficult period with the evolution of other teams and the distance between Real Madrid and Barcelona growing bigger and bigger.”

Mourinho is a nomadic manager, never staying at a club for more than three full seasons, his temperament and personality not conducive to longevity.

But he has already spoken of staying at United for “15 years” and it appears he has found contentment at Old Traford.

“At Real Madrid they wanted me to stay, they didn’t want me to leave,” added Mourinho.

“I almost had to beg to let them let me go. I don’t think that’s going to happen at United, because I don’t want to go.”