Jose Mourinho claims he was not given same level of support as Erik ten Hag | OneFootball

Jason Wilcox, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s latest hire, watched Manchester United play out a dramatic FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City at Wembley over the weekend.

Wilcox arrived from Southampton, joining United as their new technical director with immediate effect. He follows his former Manchester City colleague Omar Berrada, who has been appointed as the Red Devils’ new CEO.

Jim Ratcliffe intends to add more elite football minds to strengthen United’s structure with an aim to prioritise on-pitch success. Such moves paint a rosy picture for Ten Hag, who may enjoy more success with backing from experienced figures down the road.

While this is a norm at every top European club, the same has not been the case at Old Trafford for over a decade. Jose Mourinho has suggested the same in his recent interview with The Telegraph.

The two-time Champions League-winning manager, who was at the helm at United from 2016 to 2018, recalled his experience of working with the Premier League giants’ former CEO, Ed Woodward.

“My relationship with Ed Woodward was good,” the former Chelsea and Real Madrid man said. “But from a professional point of view it was not the best.”

Mourinho continued: “I am a football man. Ed comes from a different background and what Ten Hag has in his time at Manchester United I didn’t have. I didn’t have that level of support.”

While on the subject of being supported, Mourinho also added United still employ “a couple of players” he did not want during his time at the club.

He did not take any names, but many still believe the Portuguese manager wanted to cut ties with Paul Pogba, but United did not manage to show the Frenchman the exit door.

Speaking about his record signing, Mourinho revealed: “The season after France won the [2018] World Cup, I think Paul came back different. The World Cup brought him into a dimension where football was not the most important thing for him.”

His relationship with Anthony Martial was not much better either. The French forward, however, still remains on the club’s books. These days, however, Martial spends more time on the sidelines than on the pitch due to frequent injury issues.

Ever since the farewell of Sir Alex Ferguson, who famously sanctioned Pogba’s departure to Juventus in 2012, there have been plenty of stories about managers failing to maintain their hold over the dressing room.

Player power has often triumphed over the manager’s authority, leading to uninspiring and disjointed results. In that regard, Ratcliffe’s appointments promise a better future.

Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.