Manchester United on Friday anointed Jose Mourinho as their third new manager in less than three years in their bid to reinstate the club as a title-winning force in England and Europe.
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He has signed a three year contract with an option to stay at the club until at least 2020.
The Red Devils have won 20 English league titles, 12 FA Cups, three European Cup/Champions League titles and the World Club Cup.
Mourinho says that United are a “giant club” and that giant clubs “must be for the best managers” and for him he is confident that he is “ready for it”. “So you know the rules if you go to big clubs and don’t produce you’re out”. There is a mystique and a romance about it which no other club can match.
Mourinho said United fans had shown him “empathy, no problems” on previous visits.
Mourinho has always been linked with the Old Trafford job and a deal was said to be stalling this week due to the Portuguese’s sponsorship deals and an issue involving his image rights. “I think also they know what I can give them”.
Porto beat Manchester United on the way to winning the Champions League in 2004 and Mourinho was soon on his way to Chelsea.
Twitter users have been gripped by the situation at United according to figures provided by the social media site, with discussion around the managerial change at Old Trafford prompting more than six million tweets since the final day of the Premier League season.
The 53-year-old boasts two Champions League winners medals with FC Porto and Inter Milan on his CV, and eight league titles.
When Mourinho was in charge of Real Madrid and Guardiola running their sworn enemy Barcelona, the Portuguese relished taking a swipe at the Spaniard.
Six months on Mourinho is back in work and at the club where it is widely believed he wanted to be prior to returning to Stamford Bridge three years ago. “I wish Mourinho can restore them back to the top”. Mourinho should get similar financial support to make additions to a squad that has some obvious deficiencies. During the 2013-14 season, then Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said of Mourinho’s Chelsea after the Blues’ 2-0 win at Anfield: “I think there were two buses parked today, never mind one”.
Giggs, 42, knows the club inside out, has spent almost three decades there as a player and then on the coaching staff.
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“Mourinho is one of the best coaches in the world, but some players will not be happy he’s going there”, Robson said. “I remember when I won at Old Trafford with Real Madrid and I said the best team lost, not many people at Real Madrid were very happy with that”. “That’s proved successful and that’s what Manchester United are getting”. Manchester United was linked with the Portuguese man from the instant Chelsea confirmed his departure, but it seemed everyone but those at club itself were convinced Old Trafford was his ultimate destination.
