The exact moment I knew I was going to fail — Mourinho

Former AS Roma boss, Jose Mourinho spills the bean on his Manchester United managerial stint at Old Trafford.

In a candid interview with Rio Ferdinand on FIVE, the legendary Chelsea manager opened up about the precise moment he realized his tenure with Manchester United was bound to end in disappointment.

Appointed as the Red Devils’ manager in the summer of 2016, Mourinho enjoyed initial success, securing the League Cup and the Europa League in his debut season. However, his time at Old Trafford ultimately proved tumultuous, culminating in his dismissal in December 2018.

Despite finishing second in the Premier League table to rivals Manchester City, Mourinho expressed frustration with the club’s transfer dealings in the summer of 2018, lamenting his inability to overhaul the squad to his liking.

“I always feel, everywhere, before you buy new furniture you need to clean the house,” Mourinho remarked during the interview.

“So, I was more about cleaning the house than buying new furniture and we didn’t clean it the way I wanted.”

The Portuguese manager highlighted his desire to address underlying issues within the team from his second season onwards, but encountered obstacles that prevented him from doing so effectively.

“I cannot say that I was asking for A, B, C or D in the third season because it wasn’t right,” Mourinho explained.

“I just knew, because it was my third season, I knew clearly what I didn’t want there.”

Mourinho’s insights shed light on the challenges he faced in reshaping the squad to his vision and the frustration of not being able to address deep-rooted problems within the team.

“In terms of the individuals and in terms of the profiles, I knew clearly what I didn’t want, but it didn’t happen,” he stated.

“Sometimes in football you have to accept that. I accepted that and I tried my best.”