“In a recent interview, Jose Mourinho expressed his view that certain players are like a virus, continually diminishing the stature of the club as long as they remain part of it. Surprisingly, despite these comments, three out of the four players Mourinho specifically mentioned and criticized are still associated with the club. This situation raises questions about the continuity of Manchester United’s performance and progress, possibly influencing Mourinho’s consideration of a return to the club.”

“In a recent interview, Jose Mourinho expressed his view that certain players are like a virus, continually diminishing the stature of the club as long as they remain part of it. Surprisingly, despite these comments, three out of the four players Mourinho specifically mentioned and criticized are still associated with the club. This situation raises questions about the continuity of Manchester United’s performance and progress, possibly influencing Mourinho’s consideration of a return to the club.”

“It has been five years since Jose Mourinho specifically pointed out four Manchester United players, expressing that they lacked the ‘character’ and ‘personality’ he sought. Remarkably, three of those players are still part of the club today. In November 2018, during a challenging period for United, Mourinho made this statement in an interview with Univision, a US Spanish-language TV channel. When questioned by Barcelona legend Hristo Stoichkov about his ‘diamonds’ (youth players) at United and what they lacked to compete at the highest level, Mourinho mentioned Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, and Jesse Lingard as individuals who needed to elevate their performance.”

“They lack maturity,” Mourinho emphasized. “By that, I mean personal maturity. We, referring to myself and the interviewer Hristo Stoichkov, are more mature, more prepared to face life. We had less protection. In England, they refer to it as being ‘spoiled.’ Today, we talk about ‘spoiled kids.’ Our children are more ‘spoiled’ than we were. I believe that kids in this era have a different social life, and players have a personal entourage around them, people who protect them more, provide more affection, more excuses. They take longer to reach maturity.”

“For instance, consider Luke Shaw, the current left-back for the national team. When I arrived here two years ago, he had tremendous potential, but he didn’t know how to compete. We talk about Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford – they are young players with enormous potential but still lack a certain quality that I can’t explicitly mention but that you appreciate a lot… they lack a bit of that.”

One month after the interview with Stoichkov, Mourinho was dismissed from his position at Old Trafford following a defeat to Liverpool, which left United trailing by eleven points in the Premier League top four race. Shaw, Rashford, and Martial remain part of the United squad, currently positioned ninth in the league standings. Meanwhile, Lingard is a free agent after being released by Nottingham Forest last year.

Mourinho, aged 61, is also seeking a new project after departing from AS Roma in January. Surprisingly, reports indicate that he is considering a return to Old Trafford, believing he has ‘unfinished business’ at the Premier League club. According to The Daily Mail, Mourinho is interested in collaborating with the new management at United, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS overseeing football operations as part of the businessman’s 25 percent investment in the club.