Mourinho: Man Utd will succeed 'sooner or later'

Fenerbahce head coach José Mourinho has said he expects his former club Manchester United to succeed “sooner or later” despite the ongoing turbulence at the Premier League club.

Erik ten Hag’s team are 12th in the standings after winning just three of their opening eight league games and are winless in the Europa League.

Speaking ahead of his team’s showdown against United on Thursday, Mourinho told a news conference: “Having analysed them with my team, there is work there and they will succeed sooner or later.

“I want them to be successful. I wish the best for the coach and players.

“I want the best for them. If things are not going amazingly well for them, it’s not something that makes me happy.”

Mourinho said he understands United fans’ frustration after a run of just one win in nine European matches.

Ten Hag’s side ended a five-match winless run in Saturday’s 2-1 league win over Brentford.

“They have a better team than the results are showing,” Mourinho said.

Despite their struggles this season, Mourinho said United can lift the Europa League.

“If I have to say now who are the two biggest candidates to win the Europa League, I think it’s easy, I would say Manchester United and Tottenham,” he said. “The Premier League is a different level of quality, a different level of intensity, of pace, of tactical culture, of everything. Tomorrow we are going to play against one of the two strongest teams.”

United coach Ten Hag took over in April 2022 and has led United to two trophies — the Carabao Cup in 2023 and last season’s FA Cup.

“They keep faith in the coach,” Mourinho said of United’s backing of Ten Hag. “They support the coach, the coach is staying season after season and that means stability, it means trust.”

Mourinho, who coached United from 2016 to 2018, winning a Europa League and Carabao Cup, was sacked with his team 11 points adrift of the Champions League places in December 2018.

“They are giving him [Ten Hag] conditions to keep developing his job,” Mourinho said. “That was a difference in relation to me.”

Meanwhile, Mourinho is still hopeful he could become a Premier League Champion with United if Manchester City are retroactively docked points due to Financial Fair Play breaches.

City are facing 115 charges of breaking Premier League financial regulations and could be stripped of their titles or docked points if found guilty.

“We finished second in the Premier League [19 points adrift of Manchester City in the 2017-18 campaign],” Mourinho said.

“I think we still have a chance to win that league because maybe they punish Man City with points and maybe we win that league and they have to pay me the bonus and give me the medal.”