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The former Chelsea manager has signed a three-year deal at Old Trafford, with an option to stay at the club until at least 2020.
“Manchester United is one of these clubs where you need really to be prepared for it because it is what I used to call a giant club”, Mourinho said. “It is a club known and admired throughout the world”.
Mourinho spoke of the “mystique and romance” of United but he will bring fire and brimstone. Having seen Van Gaal get the job ahead of him in 2014 after David Moyes was sacked, Giggs faces an uncertain future following two years as United’s assistant manager.
But with United having finished seventh, fourth and fifth in the three seasons since Ferguson retired in 2013, desperation to return the club to title contention appears to have trumped concerns about Mourinho’s ability to establish lasting foundations.
150 – Mourinho went 150 home league games without suffering defeat, a run that encompassed four clubs – Porto, Chelsea, Inter Real Madrid – and over nine years.
In an interview with MUTV, Mourinho spoke of his “honour” at being appointed as manager at Old Trafford, but believes he is ready to take on the challenge.
The club released a statement on their website on Friday morning confirming the Portuguese as Louis van Gaal’s successor at Old Trafford on a three-year contract.
Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward said: “Jose is quite simply the best manager in the game today”. Jose knows how to win, he knows how to build the best teams, he knows how to create the atmosphere for players to develop to the very top level and win trophies, and that’s what he’ll be doing.
Jose Mourinho has a lengthy to-do list after taking over at Manchester United.
The Special One has been linked with numerous big-name targets including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, John Stones and Eden Hazard.
Like many fans, Roland said he still remembered the shock of his team being knocked out of the Champions League at the hands of Mourinho’s Porto side in 2004.
Despite an inglorious end to his second spell at Chelsea, Mourinho’s pedigree is undoubted.
Ferguson often dabbled in the language of conspiracy when it suited him, but Mourinho is fluent. But Manchester City are the team that will be foremost in Mourinho’s mind as he aims to derail Guardiola again, this time before he has even started.
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Mourinho demands positional responsibility from all of his players, and will not tolerate those who he feels are incapable of contributing to attack and defence (poor Juan Mata).
