Mourinho Was Right About Manchester United… But Nobody Believed Him

When Jose Mourinho first walked into Old Trafford in 2016, he was hailed as the savior who could bring Manchester United back to the heights they had fallen from since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.

His reputation preceded him—a tactical genius who had conquered Europe with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid.

He was the “Special One,” and fans believed that he would be the man to restore United’s glory.

In his debut season, Mourinho delivered what many considered a promising start.

He won three trophies—the Community Shield, the League Cup, and the Europa League.

For a club starved of silverware, this was a glimmer of hope.

But beneath the surface, cracks were already forming.

While Manchester United celebrated their return to winning ways, their rivals, particularly Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, were pulling further ahead.

Mourinho was never shy about addressing the issues he saw at the club.

He famously coined the term “football heritage” to describe the systemic problems that plagued United.

He pointed out the lack of progress in European competitions, the poor recruitment decisions, and the absence of long-term planning.

His words were dismissed as excuses at the time, but history has proven them to be eerily accurate.

The tension between Mourinho and the club’s hierarchy became a defining feature of his tenure.

He wanted control—complete and uncompromising control—to build the team in his image.

But the board refused to grant him the authority he needed.

Instead, they undermined him, failing to deliver on key transfers and clashing with his vision.

The summer of 2017 was a prime example.

Mourinho asked for four signings; he got three.

Victor Lindelof, Romelu Lukaku, and Nemanja Matic arrived, but none of them addressed the glaring weaknesses in defense or midfield.

By the summer of 2018, the situation had worsened.

Mourinho’s requests for a top-tier center-back were ignored, with the club deeming targets like Toby Alderweireld and Jerome Boateng too old or too expensive.

Instead, United signed Fred and a teenage Diogo Dalot—neither of whom could fix the problems Mourinho had identified.

The Portuguese manager’s frustration boiled over, and his relationship with the board, the players, and the fans deteriorated.

The end came in December 2018, after a disastrous start to the season.

Mourinho was sacked, leaving behind a fractured dressing room and a club in turmoil.

Many blamed him for the chaos, but as subsequent managers have discovered, the problems at Manchester United run far deeper than any one individual.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought a brief period of hope.

A club legend, he reignited the spirit of Old Trafford with his positive energy and connection to the fans.

His tenure began with a stunning comeback against PSG in the Champions League, a night that seemed to signal the return of the old United.

But like Mourinho before him, Solskjaer was ultimately undone by the club’s lack of structure and vision.

The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021 was supposed to be the crowning moment of Solskjaer’s project.

Instead, it became a tactical nightmare.

Ronaldo’s presence disrupted the team’s pressing system, exposed the midfield, and left the defense vulnerable.

When results collapsed, Solskjaer was shown the door, leaving behind a team that was more unbalanced than ever.

Eric ten Hag came next, bringing with him the promise of modern football and tactical discipline.

His debut season showed promise, with United winning the League Cup and finishing third in the Premier League.

But the cracks were still there—humiliating defeats, inconsistent performances, and questionable transfer decisions.

By the summer of 2024, United had finished eighth in the league, their lowest position in decades.

Ten Hag’s relationship with Ronaldo turned toxic, and the dressing room fractured once again.

In October 2024, Ten Hag was dismissed, becoming yet another victim of United’s relentless cycle of managerial change.

His brief stint at Bayer Leverkusen ended in similar fashion, highlighting how the damage done at Old Trafford can follow managers long after they leave.

Now, the spotlight is on Ruben Amorim, the latest man tasked with fixing the unfixable.

His tenure has already been marred by poor results, with United recording their worst league position in decades and suffering humiliating defeats in Europe.

Yet, despite the chaos, Amorim has shown glimpses of progress.

His players are fighting for him, and there is a sense that he has a plan—even if the results don’t yet reflect it.

The truth is that Manchester United’s problems cannot be solved by simply changing managers.

Mourinho was right when he spoke about football heritage.

The club’s issues are structural, rooted in poor decision-making at the top.

The Glazers, and now INEOS, have failed to provide the stability and vision needed to build a successful project.

Instead, they have relied on the strengths of each new manager to compensate for the weaknesses of the one before, creating a vicious cycle of failure.

If United truly want change, they must break this cycle.

Amorim must be given time and support to implement his vision.

The latest transfer window addressed some issues, but there is still work to be done.

The midfield needs reinforcements, the defense requires consistency, and the attack must rediscover its potency.

For now, patience is the only path forward.

Mourinho’s warnings about football heritage were dismissed at the time, but they hold the key to understanding United’s struggles.

Without stability, there can be no success.

And without addressing the deeper structural flaws, history will continue to repeat itself.