Daily Mirror

Vain, hypocritic­al Jose is the Trump of Old Trafford..but he’s not Making United Great Again

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ONCE again, on Tuesday night, all the tell-tale signs were on display.

He turned to his supporters in disgust with a “see what I mean” look after Marcus Rashford missed an early sitter, he dragged the cameras away from Marouane Fellaini’s goal celebratio­ns by doing a “thrash metal” impression on the touchline.

And when a microphone appeared, his first thought was not to praise his players and thank his fans, but to trumpet his own genius by pointing out he’s never failed to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages.

Further proof that Manchester United are managed by an ill man, suffering from a condition coined last week by the New York Post: Trump Imitation Syndrome.

The symptoms have been on display for a while, indeed some are so old you could argue Trump is suffering Mourinho Imitation Syndrome.

Both have a self-love not even Narcissus could match, feed off conspiracy theories and ride roughshod over the truth, believing facts only exist to be twisted in their favour.

Both sulk and pout when they’re not centre of attention, belittle even the mildest of critics, obsess on opponents and detest hostile journalist­s, but know how to use friendly ones.

They are loners with few close friends, bullies who throw decent colleagues under buses. They paint themselves as outsiders, lobbing grenades at the elites, when both were born into wealth and their successful fathers gave them a big leg-up into the same career they had prospered in.

Which brings us to Mourinho’s latest attempts to divert attention away from his own failings.

The TV interview with Hristo Stoichkov in which he belittled the mentality of Anthony Martial, Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Luke Shaw. “We were more like men. We were more mature. We were more prepared for life. We were less protected. Our kids are more spoilt than we were by our parents,” he told Stoichkov, claiming that their hungry generation had more balls.

A sentiment he echoed after United’s goalless draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday. It’s hypocrisy right up there with Trump telling destitute migrants and dispossess­ed black youths that their problems are nothing, when he’s been cosseted and affluent all of his life.

Here, from 2007, is how esteemed football author Simon Kuper summed up Mourinho’s childhood: “As a boy he lived on the estate of his great-uncle, a sardine-canning magnate.

“Mourinho played football with a servant and attended private schools, thus escaping the miserable education then reserved for most Portuguese. He learnt the languages that made his career.”

Like Trump, who grew up wealthy and magically managed to escape the Vietnam draft, no workingcla­ss youngster need take life lessons from Mourinho. Sadly, like Trump, that inconvenie­nt truth won’t register with him but be sneered at as fake news.

Besides, United won their last game. So as in Republican America, all is swell. His Florida paymasters have no appetite to replace him while the cash is still rolling in, even if they had a clue who to replace him with.

Long may it last.

Just like the mustsee horror show in Washington, the one at Old Trafford, stirred up by the uncensored outpouring­s of club legends, like

Paul Scholes, is compelling viewing for outsiders.

Few neutrals will feel pity for

United fans after all those years of heart-thumping glory.

However, it’s hard not to feel for those young United players whose nerves look completely shot due to shabby, self-serving attacks from a middle-aged egomaniac.

Maybe they should cop for a dose of NFL Imitation Syndrome and take a knee before the next game.

 ??  ?? HELL-BENT ON MISCHIEF Mourinho has been hard on his young players at United but his methods are not helping
HELL-BENT ON MISCHIEF Mourinho has been hard on his young players at United but his methods are not helping

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