Jose Mourinho had an up-and-down career for Manchester United.
The legendary Portuguese manager is still to this day the most successful gaffer post-Sir Alex Ferguson, yet is still regarded by many as a failure at Old Trafford.
After winning the Europa League and the Carabao Cup the season prior, he was sacked in December 2018, after a poor start to the 18/19 campaign.
United haven’t exactly missed him since – but some players have, including Scott McTominay who developed a special bond that still lasts to this day.
Jose Mourinho speaks about his ‘boys’
On the Vibe with Five Podcast, Rio Ferdinand sat down with the legendary figure to chat about his Roma dismissal, Manchester United and all things football.
Ferdinand asked Jose about who his favourite individual players were to coach, to which Mourinho responded:
“The players that I most enjoyed are the players that gave me everything. Everything. I’ve had dozens of these and maybe they’re not the most talented ones. Just the ones that gave everything.
“The ones that I felt they couldn’t give anything more than what they gave. These are my players.”
He then went on to single out two current Manchester United players who gave him this feeling but also felt even better as he played them from when they were kids. He said:
“When you play a kid. The kid becomes your kid for life. That’s always my feeling. So I look to Raphael Varane now at the end of his career, he’s my kid.
“When I look to Scott McTominay, you know I put Pogba on the bench, I play McTominay instead in the Champions League in Sevilla. He’s my boy.
“So when I go from club to club, I find my boys and my boys are always going to be my boys.”
- READ MORE: Jose Mourinho reveals he had the England job ‘on the table’ – then explains why he didn’t take it
Mourinho loved giving youth a chance
One thing you can’t deny about Mourinho, he always gave youth a chance in the spotlight – and was often rewarded.
As we know now, Varane has become one of the best and most decorated centre-backs in modern-day football, and McTominay has become an integral part of Manchester United’s first-team squad.
The two share the s
Where will Mourinho head next? Well, that’s very up in the air, but one thing is for certain – it doesn’t look like he’s done with football yet.
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