JOSE MOURINHO CLAIMS to have inherited Manchester United on the back of “no evolution”, with David Moyes and Louis van Gaal overseeing “an empty period”.
The Portuguese took the reins at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016 and was charged with the task of bringing the glory days back to the Red Devils.
A club which had tasted so much success under Sir Alex Ferguson had found itself going backwards, with a solitary FA Cup win under Van Gaal – who has blasted United for their treatment of him - doing little to paper over the cracks.
Mourinho was able to deliver three trophies during his first year at the helm, and is now attempting to piece together a Premier League title bid, but he says his task has been made all the more difficult by the failings of his predecessors as they struggled to handle the weight of expectation.
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He told the Sunday Times: “There was an evolution in the other clubs; there was no evolution in this club. In all the areas that make a team successful I think we stopped in time.
“That was quite an empty period in the club with no evolution in areas that are important.
“It was the weight of the past on the shoulders of the players, managers, even boards, even probably owners, because when you are used to win and win and win, and suddenly you stop, it’s like a heavy burden.
“Today, we have better working conditions, a better medical department, a better analysis department, a better scouting department, a better media department, and in many cases we did it without changing the people, which is quite important.”
Mourinho helped United to Community Shield, EFL Cup and Europa League triumphs in 2016-17.
The securing of multiple trophies was considered to be a positive step in the right direction, but there is a demand for continuous improvement at Old Trafford.
A sixth-place finish last season saw the Red Devils fall short on the domestic front, but they have set about righting those wrongs this term and currently set the Premier League pace on the back of an unbeaten start to 2017-18.
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Mourinho accuses Moyes and Van Gaal of overseeing 'empty period' in Man United's evolution
JOSE MOURINHO CLAIMS to have inherited Manchester United on the back of “no evolution”, with David Moyes and Louis van Gaal overseeing “an empty period”.
The Portuguese took the reins at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016 and was charged with the task of bringing the glory days back to the Red Devils.
A club which had tasted so much success under Sir Alex Ferguson had found itself going backwards, with a solitary FA Cup win under Van Gaal – who has blasted United for their treatment of him - doing little to paper over the cracks.
Mourinho was able to deliver three trophies during his first year at the helm, and is now attempting to piece together a Premier League title bid, but he says his task has been made all the more difficult by the failings of his predecessors as they struggled to handle the weight of expectation.
He told the Sunday Times: “There was an evolution in the other clubs; there was no evolution in this club. In all the areas that make a team successful I think we stopped in time.
“That was quite an empty period in the club with no evolution in areas that are important.
“Today, we have better working conditions, a better medical department, a better analysis department, a better scouting department, a better media department, and in many cases we did it without changing the people, which is quite important.”
Mourinho helped United to Community Shield, EFL Cup and Europa League triumphs in 2016-17.
The securing of multiple trophies was considered to be a positive step in the right direction, but there is a demand for continuous improvement at Old Trafford.
A sixth-place finish last season saw the Red Devils fall short on the domestic front, but they have set about righting those wrongs this term and currently set the Premier League pace on the back of an unbeaten start to 2017-18.
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