Valencia vs Manchester United: Jose Mourinho reiterates his love for the club and calls on Paul Pogba's support
Jorge Mendes made a shock statement declaring rumours about Mourinho's future ‘untrue’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has reiterated his love for the club following Jorge Mendes’ shock statement about his future.
Mourinho’s agent made a rare public statement and said rumours surrounding the manager’s future at Old Trafford were false. “Jose is very happy at the club and the club is very happy with him,” he said.
United are preparing for their final Champions League group tie on Wednesday and could enter the knockout phase as group winners, having already secured qualification, if they beat Valencia and Juventus lose against Young Boys.
“I have nothing to do with the statement, it’s Jorge’s statement, not my statement,” said Mourinho. “I didn’t know [it was coming] and I don’t care.
“Sometimes there is a perception, all over the world, that the fans care more about the club than the professionals and that is totally wrong. It is totally wrong. Nobody in Manchester cares more about the club than me. We feel everything, every second.”
Mourinho added that he will be looking towards players like Paul Pogba to help United’s latest crop of young players adapt to playing in the first team, although he took exception to a question about the French midfielder when asked about getting the best out of the World Cup winner.
“I don’t like your question. You can put the question from another direction, I don’t like the direction of the question,” he snapped.
Pogba’s relationship with the United boss has become increasingly strained this season, with reports of a bust-up in front of the squad where Mourinho questioned his commitment after they drew to struggling Southampton.
“I am looking for him to play well, and for him to have a good impact on the game and the team,” Mourinho said of Pogba, who been named on the bench in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal. “I hope that people like Paul and a couple of others that are normally in the team, I hope they can have a good impact on the team.”
Juan Mata, who is facing his former club, gave his support to Pogba and urged him to return to his best for the benefit of the team. “We all have better and worse moments in our careers and our seasons,” he said. “As a team-mate I’ll keep supporting him, he’s looking forward to playing well and doing his best in the team. I want that he can play at his best level because if he does it will benefit us.
“We football players, we enjoy when we are on the pitch and we are frustrated when we don’t play,” he added. “That is normal behaviour. It is important to focus to perform when you do play. I always try to be consistent when I do play.”
James Garner could feature from the bench in Wednesday’s Champions League tie in Valencia as United’s injury list grows. “(James) Garner will be on the bench and Mason (Greenwood) is the extra player,” Mourinho confirmed.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments