Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has revealed that he received a message for Jose Mourinho after taking the Old Trafford job. The Premier League giants opted to part ways with former manager Erik ten Hag at the end of October following a run of poor results.
New minority owners INEOS had sanctioned multiple signings over the summer, but with the Red Devils failing to impress, they opted for a change at the helm. Club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, who had joined Ten Hag's team in the summer, was appointed as interim manager.
Manchester United wasted no time to appoint Ruben Amorim as the Ten Hag's successor, announcing the Portuguese as their new head coach on November 1. Amorim is highly regarded across the European circuit, thanks to his impressive work with Sporting.
Speaking recently, as cited by acclaimed journalist Fabrizio Romano, Amorim revealed that Mourinho had spoken highly about the Red Devils.
“José Mourinho sent me a message. He said Man United is a big club, with lovely people. It still is. That is correct,” said Mourinho.
Interestingly, Amorim did a week-long internship at Manchester United in 2018, as part of his Master’s Degree in high-performance football coaching at the University of Lisbon. Jose Mourinho was the Red Devils manager at that time. Amorim took charge of Sporting in 2020, with the club in shambles, and went on to guide them to two league titles in four years.
Jose Mourinho was stationed at the hot seat at Manchester United in the summer of 2016, as Louis van Gaal's successor. The Portuguese manager had previously achieved great success in the Premier League with Chelsea.
Mourinho was talked with getting the Red Devils back on track after a few underwhelming seasons. The 'Special One' started his tenure by winning the EFL Cup and the Europea League in his first season.
Mourinho finished second behind Manchester City the following year, but it went all downhill from there. The Portuguese was ultimately relieved off his duties in December 2018. After stints with Tottenham Hotspur and AS Roma, Mourinho is currently with Fenerbahce.
The Turkish side came up against Manchester United in October this year in the Europea League, in Erik ten Hag's penultimate game in charge. The Premier League side took the lead through Christian Eriksen, only for Youssef En-Nesyri to equalize after the break. The game ended 1-1.