"There are couple of players still there I didn't want," Jose Mourinho reflects on time at Manchester United

The Portuguese won Europa League and Carabao Cup with Manchester United

Attacking a number of Manchester United players who ‘he did not want’ in his team, Jose Mourinho has criticised them for not fitting the proper ‘professional profile’ of the organisation.

After United had a terrible start to the Premier League season, the Portuguese manager was fired by the team in December 2018. Since then, Jose Mourinho—who recently resigned from his position at Roma—hasn’t been able to help but poke fun at his previous team and former players, such as Luke Shaw, the full-back.

The England defender and the Portuguese manager had a tense relationship. Shaw, 28, was frequently made fun of by the manager both while he was employed by the team and after he left, with criticism ranging from his level of professionalism to his fitness.

In an interview with The Telegraph, the former Manchester United manager criticised the calibre of a number of players who were on his team and have since stayed at Old Trafford.

‘There are still a couple of players still there I didn’t want five or six years ago,’ Mourinho said, adding that his professional relationship with former CEO Ed Woodward could have also been better.  

‘I think they represent a little bit what I consider not the best professional profile to a club of a certain dimension. 

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‘But I did my job there. Time always tells the truth. I would love Manchester United to succeed.’ 

Several players from Mourinho’s team from his last season at Old Trafford are still in Erik ten Hag’s squad, though he did not specify who he was referring to in the interview.

Victor Lindelof, Anthony Martial, Scott McTominay, Diogo Dalot, and Marcus Rashford are a few of those names.

Shaw and Mourinho first became close in 2015, following the defender’s double leg break at the age of 21. Mourinho replaced Louis van Gaal as United’s manager during Shaw’s injury. Ultimately, he was to return during a 1-1 draw with Everton. After the game, Mourinho criticised the Portuguese manager for his poor showing, saying he had to make all of the decisions for the United full-back.

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