Jose Mourinho hits back at critics over Manchester United reign: ‘They don’t know what is behind the scenes’
Jose Mourinho has addressed critics of his Manchester United reign, insisting they “don’t know what is behind the scenes” in reference to reports of player unrest and a fallout with Paul Pogba.
Speaking on beIN Sports he said: “Sometimes we comment on what we see, but we don’t know what is behind the scenes and influences what we see. I think that is a fundamental thing.
“If I tell you for example that I consider one of the best jobs of my career [was] to finish second with Manchester United in the Premier League, you say: ‘This guy is crazy – he won 25 titles...’
“But I keep saying this because people don’t know what is going on behind the scenes. Sometimes we, on this side of the camera, analyse things with a different perspective.”
Mourinho added he is “too young” to consider retirement and insists he still belongs at the top level.
The Portuguese was sacked as Manchester United manager during December, with the team going on to since win six straight matches under caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Mourinho, though, has no intentions of letting United be his final job. He said: “I want to coach.
“I am too young, I am in football for a long, long time but I will be 56 in a couple of weeks and am really too young.
“Where I am going to stay is where I belong, I belong to top football. I belong to top-level football and (that) is where I am going to be.”
Mourinho also defended himself against the suggestion he has a tendency for implementing negative styles of football, pointing to his track record of success.
“One thing is image, another thing is communication, another thing is good structure behind, another thing is to win and get results,” he said.
“It is very easy to play well and not win, it is very easy to be behind a certain idea of a certain football without results.
“The people that win and the people that win consistently – because you can win isolated and then disappear – has obviously a different idea about that.
“If you speak about [Pep] Guardiola, [Carlo] Ancelotti, about one where obviously I belong, that have a career of victories for a long, long period, where are the young ones with a real impact in terms of results? Where are they?”
PA
