Exclusive: Jose Mourinho still 'loves' Manchester United, would have ...

Updated 23/10/2024 at 18:31 GMT

Jose Mourinho has insisted it was "impossible" for Manchester United to win the Premier League during his time at Old Trafford, but admitted he still "loves" the club.

The Portuguese was at the helm between 2016 and 2018. During that period, The Red Devils won a UEFA Europa League crown, while also finishing second in the Premier League, behind Manchester City.

However, a bad start to 2018/19 piled the pressure on Mourinho, who was eventually sacked in the December of that campaign after a 3-1 defeat to bitter rivals Liverpool.

The 61-year-old is now in charge of Fenerbahce, and faces his former employers in the Europa League on Thursday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Ahead of the showdown, he has reflected on his time at Old Trafford.

"I know that Manchester United [aim] to win the Champions League," Mourinho exclusively told TNT Sports. "I know that Manchester United [aim] to win the Premier League.

"But in my period, it was impossible to do it, so we won the Europa League and we finished second in the Premier League, which is something that we managed to achieve."

After being sacked by United, Mourinho spent 18 months as Tottenham Hotspur boss between November 2019 and April 2021.

A handful of weeks on from his Spurs departure, he was back in management at Roma.

While in Italy, he guided the club to their first piece of silverware in 14 years, as they lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League title in 2022, beating Feyenoord 1-0 in the final.

The 'Ones' of Mourinho: From 'Special' at Chelsea to 'Foreign' at Fenerbahce

However, a poor start to the 2023/24 campaign meant he moved on again, before taking the reins at Fenerbahce this summer.

But Mourinho said they would have enjoyed more success if they had stuck with him.

He added: "I always believe that with more support, with more time, with more internal feeling about the moment and with more support from the media, I would be there serving a third and fourth season, and we would reach more.

"But that was the decision. I move forward. The club also moved forward. The club won something after that, a couple of cups. I also won something after that.

"Life goes on. But I love Manchester United, no doubt."

Stream the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League live on TNT Sports and discovery+