Manchester United will face a familiar foe when they take on Fenerbahce as former manager Jose Mourinho will be in the opposite dugout but the man remains at his cheeky best.
The club he’s managing has changed, thrice, in fact, since leaving Manchester United but the box-office attraction that is Jose Mourinho will never change.
Erik ten Hag recently praised Mourinho before the game and with United needing a win here after two draws in their first two Europa League fixture, the pressure is right up there.
Mourinho will relish a chance to get one over on his former employers as he’s a master of setting the narrative.
He was at it once again in the press conference before the game vs United as he made a cheeky and bold prediction that was him at his best.
Jose Mourinho’s bold Man Utd prediction
Mourinho’s tenure at Old Trafford might have ended in chaos and misery for everyone involved, but he can legitimately make a case for being the most successful United manager after Sir Alex Ferguson’s time.
His second-placed finish in the league was matched only by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but the Portuguese also won the Europa League and the Carabao Cup in the process.
It remains United’s only European trophy after Sir Alex and that’s the feat Ten Hag will be hoping to replicate this season.
In the meantime, Mourinho has insinuated that the distance between him and the next most successful post-Sir Alex manager could yet widen, in which case he should be paid a bonus and more money by the club.
Talking to the media ahead of the game, he predicted that he might have a Premier League title to celebrate at United if Man City get punished by the league for their breach of rules.
He said: “As you know, we won Europa League, we finished second in the Premier League. I think we still have a chance to win that league if they punish Man City. And then they have to pay me the bonus and give me the money!”
It is not the first time Mourinho has had a cheeky jab at City by bringing up their case and how it would give him a Premier League title and it’s fair to assume it won’t be the last!
Historic if it happens
Due to Manchester City’s clout and sheer legal power to grind their opponents down, not many Man Utd fans are optimistic that a consequential verdict will come for the case.
The Premier League has maintained a brave stand throughout the proceedings but people have been burned by City getting away with everything so many times that it is no longer easy to predict that a punishment is on the way.
In the meantime, it has become a constant source of schadenfreude for rival supporters beat City with while Pep Guardiola’s men continue to defend their position, and understandably so.
The chances of it actually happening are remarkably low since even if City get punished, it’s highly unlikely their titles are taken away retrospectively but if it happens, it would be a historic verdict.
After all, when can anyone say that Liverpool and Man Utd win the Premier League title on the same day?
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