This weekend sees José Mourinho face off against one of his former pupils as his Manchester United side host Nuno Espírito Santo’s Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford, and Mourinho took time to speak highly of the work of his fellow Portuguese at Molineux.
Mourinho also assessed the current project at Wolves, which has strong involvement from his agent Jorge Mendes. Meanwhile, Nuno responded by admitting it was an “honour” to be praised by his ex-coach at Porto, while insisting he expects his side to assert themselves at the Theatre of Dreams.
Both sides come into Saturday’s match in good form, with United having won three consecutive matches after beating Young Boys in Switzerland on Wednesday, while Wolves are also on a three-match winning streak, during which they have not conceded a goal. Nuno’s side have also held champions Manchester City to a 1-1 draw this season.
"What Nuno has done is not easy" - Mourinho
Asked what he has made of Wolves’ return to the top flight, Mourinho was generous in his praise of the team and their manager: “Last season they were dominant, and we all know it is not easy to be dominant in the Championship," he told his weekly press conference. "Even if you have the best team, it is not easy. And they were dominant from the begging until the end.
“They had a strong market. Great work. They have had a great adaptation to the Premier League. They have not just the points but the performances that makes everyone feel they are going to have a very stable season. Very far from the problems that a team that comes from the Championship normally has.
“Am I surprised by Nuno? When they are players, there are some that give you a feeling they can become managers. That team from Porto, I would say 75% of them are now managers. Nuno has reached this Premier League level by his own merit. He didn’t come directly – he came to the Championship. So, he earned the right. He has done fantastic work – the results speak for themselves.”
Wolves were the subject of a takeover in 2016, which saw Jorge Mendes installed as an agent for the club, leading to a large number of Portuguese players passing through the doors at the West Midlands club. Rui Patrício and João Moutinho were added this summer to a squad already boasting Rúben Neves, Diogo Jota, Pedro Gonçalves, Ivan Cavaleiro, Rúben Vinagre and Helder Costa.
“Do I speak to Jorge about it? No,” Mourinho said. “I haven’t spoke with him for quite a long time to be honest, but when we speak we don’t speak about our jobs. But I think the work in Wolves is good, because it’s not just about a Portuguese influence, a Portuguese manager, Portuguese staff or Portuguese players. It’s also about getting the right ones.
“They got good, experienced stable players. This season they got the Portuguese national team goalkeeper. They got Moutinho who is one of the 100-cap club. Big stability in the team. The young ones are boys with good potential and you can see the work of the coaching staff and the team is a really, really good team.”
Dalot to be rested
Journalists also asked Mourinho for his view on right-back Diogo Dalot, who made an impressive debut for United in their 3-0 Champions League victory over Young Boys. The former Porto youngster, 19, drew widespread praise for his confidence and attacking threat as he gave a dominant performance on his first outing for the senior side.
“I want him during this process of adaptation to play totally fresh. So, he will not play tomorrow. He will play Tuesday. I want him to play totally fresh. To play for Manchester United is difficult enough. For a kid of 19, coming from another country and after a bad injury, I think he doesn’t need more difficulties from accumulation of matches.
“So, he played 90 minutes in the Champions League on a difficult pitch, he will recover properly and play on Tuesday. But, I think he showed for those who did not know him, that he’s not a player to be here just in the development stage. He’s a player who is here to compete for his position. He’s a very good player."
The timing of the press conferences on Friday allowed Nuno to respond to the praise issued by his former boss, who coached the ex-goalkeeper between 2002-04 during a huge period of success at the Estádio do Dragão. Nuno, currently in his fourth managerial position after spells with Rio Ave, Valencia and Porto, was pleased with Mourinho’s words.
Inspiration
"Jose Mourinho was my manager for two years - what we achieved for Porto will be in our memories forever,” he said.
"It's an honour that he speaks about me, but it's not about me it's about Wolves against Manchester United. Tomorrow what we'll see is two good teams of football trying to achieve the best result possible. To all the players that were in the squad (at the time) - he was a big inspiration. It will stay in our memories forever. But then things change you go on with your career personally - he was a big inspiration."
Wolves may travel to Old Trafford as underdogs on Saturday afternoon, but Nuno, who has been heralded at times this season for his tactical acumen, expects his side to assert themselves on the game as The Wanderers aim to build on their current 9th place position in the Premier League.
"We go there like all the games, we prepare ourselves," he said. "We know Manchester United's team, we know what we're going to face tomorrow, and we prepare for the competition.
"We know how hard it'll be, but we want to compete and put our ideas on the pitch. It's our idea to put what we do in training sessions in the games so in that sense we're ready for it."
By Sean Gillen
