José Mourinho has called on Manchester United’s fans to once more get behind the team after three disaffected years in which they were forced to endure the unadventurous tactics of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
Moyes lasted just 10 months to be temporarily replaced by Ryan Giggs while Van Gaal was eventually dispensed with despite winning the FA Cup, chants of “We’re Man United, we want to attack!” becoming the refrain at several games last season.
The new manager has promised the supporters a fresh start, despite suspicions that he may bring his own brand of negativity to Old Trafford, and told the club website: “I understand that they expect a lot from me but I also expect a lot from them. There is no chance we will be happy if we are not together and I think the passion for this club is really amazing.
“It’s a new chapter in the club’s life. Always when you change a manager, I feel it is a sad moment but it is a new chapter now. We have brought a few new faces in, we will keep some others but, in the end, it doesn’t matter who the manager is, it doesn’t who the new players are or who is staying or leaving, it’s Man United and Man United is much more than any one of us.
“The passion the fans have is for the club and I feel that I am a club man. When I arrived, I wore the shirt immediately and this is the kind of club and the kind of shirt that I am very proud to represent. I am going to do my best to be happy and to make the people happy.”
In terms of targets for his first year, Mourinho reiterated his comments at his first press conference when he said: “I’m not humble when I talk about targets, I’m quite aggressive on that. I want everything and everything is to win matches, play well, score goals, don’t concede goals… everything. I want everything. I know that we are speaking about a hypothetical situation which is very difficult to reach but I want everything.”
Mourinho has already made his mark by signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly this summer, while Paul Pogba has been linked with a €100mn return to his former club from Juventus.
Mourinho will get his first taste of the dugout when United take on Wigan in a friendly at the DW Stadium this Saturday.

Rooney says Mourinho will give him ‘extra motivation’
Manchester United skipper Wayne Rooney (pic right) has said Mourinho’s appointment as manager has given him extra motivation for the new Premier League season. Mourinho, tasked with making United title contenders once more after the sacking of Louis van Gaal in May, has signalled that he sees Rooney playing up front—rather than the deeper midfield position he took up for England and United at the back end of last season.
Rooney, 30, who is only four goals behind Bobby Charlton’s record haul of 249 in United’s all-time top-scorers’ list, told Inside United magazine: “I’m really excited to be working with Jose this season as he’s one of the best managers in the world. It’s an exciting time for Manchester United.
“I’ve always respected him both as a man and a manager, he’s a nice guy and one of the most successful managers of all time.
“I like to think I’m always motivated as a player but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit more motivated when a new manager comes in. I’m sure all the lads will be happy to be working under Jose and also eager to impress.”
Rooney, who has been joined at Old Trafford over the summer by Ibrahimovic, Ivorian defender Bailly and Armenian playmaker Mkhitaryan, said he had never enjoyed an easy game against a Mourinho side.
“His teams are always hard to beat, tactically disciplined and, most importantly, successful,” Rooney said of the former Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Porto boss. He’ll bring all these qualities with him and I’m sure he’ll have his own ideas, but one of the biggest assets will be his experience.
“He’s managed a lot of successful teams throughout his career and all that experience will be vital.”