Jose Mourinho hasn’t enjoyed a fairy-tale start to his career as manager of Manchester United; after three straight Premier League wins, three successive defeats to Manchester City, Feyenoord and Watford left his side reeling. A run of indifferent league form left them down in seventh and struggling to keep pace with the top four, but recently, things are looking up; United have won their last seven games in the bounce, and sit just two points behind Arsenal in fourth place at the time of writing.
Mourinho has been speaking to the club’s official channel, MUTV, and noted how those surrounding the club, presumably the staff and fans have helped him develop a deep affection for a club he only joined eight months ago.
“Well, the thing that made me immediately feel deeply about the club and the people, and the desire to work for the people, is the people. The [people are the] typical Manchester United supporters, the ones that have unbelievable memories of the past, but know the realities of the moment. The ones who keep the expectations for the future but understand the road to arrive there and are always supporting the team, even in the bad moments we have had.
“That, for me, is the most significant thing because it’s the thing that makes you fall in love with a new club. I think that’s the thing that touched me more.”
It’s nice to see Mourinho taking note of the patience and support offered to him by fans and staff, given how the first half of this season has frequently been something of a rocky experience.
Of late, though, it appears that Mourinho and his charges have stumbled onto some form, and will hopefully make the second half of his first year in charge of the club a memorable one.
