Jose Mourinho holds first press conference as Manchester United manager.

Jose Mourinho addresses key issues

Jose Mourinho took over at Manchester United after the club decided to relieve Louis Van Gaal of his duties at the end of last season, as a result of his boring style of play, poor results and failure to qualify for the Champions League despite the Dutchman heroics of an FA cup win after a 12 year wait. Jose Mourinho himself was sacked by Chelsea FC midway of the previous season due to poor results but has now been given a chance to prove his mettle once again at the biggest club in England.

The new coach held his first press conference as Manchester United manager today.


Some of the key points from the conference include;

• He said the club were targeting four transfers which means we should be expecting a fourth new face at Old Trafford after the club completed the transfer of Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Borussia Dortmund, Zlatan Ibrahimovich from Paris Saint Germain and Eric Bailly from Villareal FC.   

• About Ryan Giggs leaving the club; Jose stated that he beat the Welsh legend to the job of head coach. He said its not his fault that Giggs had to leave the club. He stated that the owners wanted him and  not Giggs hence Giggs' decision to search for a club elsewhere. Mourinho stated that the doors of the club are always open to the former assistant manager in case he is granted a return by the board

• On his squad;
• Jose affirmed that team captain Wayne Rooney will not play for him in a midfield position next season. He stated though Rooney had a great pass, almost all players in the world and even he himself (Jose) would play a great pass without pressure. He said he needed him more higher up the pitch putting the ball into the net which according to him is his natural position. In his words "He will be a No. 9, a No. 10, a No. 9.5 but never a No 6 or No. 8"
• Mourinho also believed that strikers 18 year old striker Marcus Rashford and 34 year old veteran striker Zlatan Ibrahimovich can complement one another. In his words, he said "34 plus 18, divided by two, is the perfect age for a football player. So our two strikers are exactly in the perfect age, because 18 is not the perfect age, 34 is not, so i think they can be an amazing complement for each other"

• Jose Mourinho expressed his disappointment that the club are not playing in the Champions league. He said "We have to make sure this club is where it has to be which is the Champions League". He also stated the the club will not just pursue a Champions League spot for the upcoming season but considers them contenders for the league title.  

• Jose also squashed allegations of not supporting youth players at the clubs he has managed, according to him, due to time constraints, he would not be able to read out all the names but he has 49 names of players that broke into the first team under him since he started coaching. He stated that the main reasons you start an academy player is due to injuries and when the match isn't so important to build their confidence.

• Jose Mourinho also stated that his Manchester United side will play a different football next season. He said they would be more aggressive, would take more risks and won't be scared of losing the ball. He also said his side would play well and he defined playing well as outscoring your opponent and making your fans proud.

Jose Mourinho's first match in charge will be against Wigan.

Way to go, Jose!!