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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag says Jose Mourinho is an “example” for other managers ahead of facing the coaching legend’s Fenerbahce in the Europa League this week.
Mourinho took the job with the Turkish giants during 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 actually crossed paths before now, with Ten Hag not arriving at Ajax until around eight months after Mourinho’s United beat the Dutch giants in the 2017 Europa League final. But the current United boss is looking forward to a first meeting with someone who has helped define an era of coaching over the past 20 years.
“It’s a big game for both of us. I [will] really enjoy facing him and playing against him,” Ten Hag said at the annual Football Writers’ Association awards.
“He always has good teams; he is a winner and has won so many trophies. He’s an example for many managers, so I will 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 that up with back-to-back Premier League titles with Chelsea, before leading Inter to a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble in 2009/10. A spell at Real Madrid was characterised by a personal rivalry with Barcelona counterpart Pep Guardiola, while a later return to Chelsea yielded the club another Premier League crown.
Mourinho has arguably fallen out of the elite bracket of club football in more recent years, struggling to make Manchester United a success again, although he remains the last manager to deliver two trophies in one season, and taking in spells at Tottenham Hotspur and Roma. He won the latter’s first European trophy in 41 years in 2021/22, but a Conference League trophy doesn’t quite hit the same as the serial triumphs he enjoyed in the first half of his career.
Since taking charge of Fenerbahce, Mourinho has overseen five wins from eight Turkish Super Lig fixtures, but his team trail fierce rivals and reigning champions Galatasaray by eight points. In the Europa League, it has been a win over Union Saint-Gilloise and a draw with FC Twente so far.
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