By calling one of his Manchester United predecessors a model for countless managers, Erik ten Hag is taking great pleasure in his confrontation with Jose Mourinho. This week, United will play Fenerbahce in the Europa League in Istanbul, which could lead to a reunion with Mourinho, who took over at the Turkish team in the summer after being fired by Roma.
Despite being viewed as a contentious figure at Old Trafford throughout his time from 2016 to 2018, the Portuguese manager—who is among the most decorated in history—won three titles, including the Europa League in 2017. United coach Ten Hag recognized the significance of this moment after the team’s first two games in the competition ended in draws, and he is eager to play Mourinho on Thursday. Ten Hag stated, “It is a significant game for both of us,” during the best managers’ awards ceremony hosted by the Football Journalists’ Association.
“I love playing against him and facing him. He is a winner and consistently has strong teams. He took home numerous awards. He serves as an example for a lot of managers, in my opinion. Ten Hag is once again under criticism following a dismal start to the season, even though the Dutchman led Manchester to FA Cup victory at the end of the last campaign. However, the Dutchman acknowledges that this is a necessary part of running such a team.
He remarked, “It is football, you have to live for now,” “We have to go for it because what occurred is in the past and you have to show yourself every day and every season. Our goal is to win a trophy once more, but we are just starting the season and will see where we end up.”