Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says Jose Mourinho is an “example” for other managers ahead of the manager’s legendary side Fenerbahce in the Europa League this week.
Mourinho took the job with the Turkish giants in the summer, moving to the fifth country of his career after previous spells in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain.
Ten Hag and Mourinho have never crossed paths until now, with Ten Hag not arriving at Ajax until around eight months after Mourinho’s United beat the Dutch giants in 2017. Europa League end But the current United boss is looking forward to a first meeting with someone who has helped define a managerial era over the past 20 years.
“It’s a great game for both of us. I’ll really enjoy going up against him and playing against him,” Ten Hag said at the annual Football Writers’ Association awards.
“He always has good teams, he’s a winner and he’s won a lot of trophies. He’s an example for a lot of managers, so I’ll really enjoy playing against him.”
Mourinho rose to prominence when he won the UEFA Cup – now the Europa League – and Champions League with Porto in successive seasons in 2002/03 and 2003/04.
He followed him with his back Premier League titles with Chelsea, before leading Inter to a treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League in 2009/10. A stage at Real Madrid was characterized by a personal rivalry with his Barcelona counterpart, Pep Guardiolawhile a subsequent return to Chelsea gave the club another Premier League crown.
Mourinho has fallen outside the elite category of club football in recent years, struggling to make it Manchester United An achievement again, although he remains the last manager to deliver two trophies in one season, having played for Tottenham Hotspur and Roma. Won the latter’s first European trophy in 41 years in 2021/22, but a League of Conferences The trophy does not quite hit the same as the series triumphs he enjoyed in the first half of his career.
Since taking over at Fenerbahce, Mourinho has made it five wins from eight games in the Turkish Super League, but his side trail fierce rivals and reigning champions Galatasaray by eight points. In the Europa League so far it has been a win against Union Saint-Gilloise and a draw with FC Twente.
