Text from Manchester United board reassured Mourinho over sacking reports

Reports claimed Jose Mourinho was facing the sack at Manchester United, but he says he had been reassured by the club's board.

Published : Oct 07, 2018 10:45 IST

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.
lightbox-info

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.

Jose Mourinho said he received a text from the Manchester United board telling him to pay no attention to reports he was to be sacked regardless of the result in Saturday's clash with Newcastle United.

The Daily Mirror published a story on Friday claiming Mourinho was to be dismissed as United manager this weekend, a situation that sparked much debate.

Former United captain Gary Neville – now a television pundit – slammed the club for allegedly leaking the story to a journalist, suggesting something similar happened when Louis van Gaal lost his job in 2016.

Mourinho's side went on to win 3-2 at Old Trafford despite trailing 2-0 within 10 minutes, but the Portuguese insists the speculation surrounding his future had no impact because United's hierarchy had already provided reassurances.

He told talkSPORT : "The ones that read the papers, that are connected with social media, they thought maybe I had gone [been sacked].

"If I hadn't had an SMS from my board not to read [into the speculation], I would have been convinced too."

Unsurprisingly, Mourinho was prickly with reporters in his post-match news conference, particularly when asked about what he had said to his players at half-time to inspire the turnaround.

"I think you will know what I told," Mourinho said. "If you want to know, you will know.

"You know everything; what is true, what is not true. I'm pretty sure you will make some calls and you will know what I told at half-time."

Mourinho also accused the media of doubting the professionalism of United's players.

"I think there is too much talk, you put in doubt the honesty and professionalism of the players," he added.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment