Jose Mourinho may prove there’s life in the old dog yet with an opportunity to inflict a slew of vengeance on his former clubs, including Manchester United, courtesy of a rather unique Europa League draw.
United’s Most Successful Coach since Sir Alex?
The Portuguese coach was the Red Devils manager from 2016 until 2018, eventually being replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after a stereotypical fall-out with his squad.
In his debut season at Old Trafford, Mourinho won an unlikely trio of trophies – the Carabao Cup, the Europa League, and the Community Shield, though it stretches the limits of credulity to count this last one as a legitimate trophy.
The former Chelsea and Porto boss followed this up with a second place finish in the Premier League the next year with an 81 points total – statistically, the best league campaign by a United side since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
Then, in true Mourinho fashion, the 62-year-old produced his ‘third-year implosion’ at Old Trafford and was dismissed only four months into the season.
There remains a reasonable argument the Special One was United’s most successful manager, in a long line of unsuccessful candidates, in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
The Opportunity for Revenge
Mourinho went on to manage Tottenham Hotspur, AS Roma and, where he currently coaches, Super Lig side Fenerbahce after departing Old Trafford.
And this exact sequence of clubs are now what could stand between Mourinho winning an unlikely Europa League trophy with his Turkish employers.
Should Fenerbahce beat Rangers in the last sixteen, the Yellow Canaries’ route to the final potentially includes Roma in the quarter-final, United in the semi-final and a showdown with Spurs to complete the vengeful hattrick in Bilbao.
Ruben Amorim, who has been compared to Mourinho, saw United draw Real Sociedad in their round-of-sixteen tie – a tough opponent who are likely to pose many issues for the 40-year-old’s underperforming side.
Mourinho has already faced United in the tournament – when Erik ten Hag was still at the helm of the Reds – in the group phase with the match finishing 1-1 in Istanbul.
The 62-year-old would relish the opportunity to get another crack at his former side and there are few managers in the history of the game who thrive with revenge as a motivator the way Mourinho does.
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
