Chelsea legend Michael Essien has backed under-fire Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho to turn things around, amid his uncertain future at Old Trafford
In an interview with Daily Mail, Michael Essien has given his backing to former boss Jose Mourinho, who is facing an uncertain future at Manchester United after a poor start to the season. The Chelsea legend has iterated that Mourinho will prove his naysayers wrong in the near future by turning around his fortunes at Old Trafford.
The infamous Jose Mourinho third season syndrome seems to be rearing its ugly head once again. It first struck at Real Madrid before returning in worst form thus far during the Portuguese manager’s second stint at Chelsea. And, there shades of his previous two managerial spells at Manchester United this term.
With just five wins from their 11 games across all competitions, Manchester United’s season is threatening to spiral out of control. Unsurprisingly, Mourinho is under pressure to perform or perish, although there have been conflicting reports surrounding the club’s stance on the manager’s future.
While some suggest that the former Chelsea boss might not have long in the managerial hotseat at Old Trafford, there are a few reports that have claimed that Manchester United are willing to back Mourinho. However, clashes with some of the players are not helping his case, and a few more poor results could amp up the pressure further.
Mourinho though, has found one supporter in Chelsea legend Michael Essien, who has backed the Manchester United manager to turn his fortunes around and prove his doubters wrong.
“For me, Jose is still the same. He hasn’t changed. He still has the fighting spirit, he’s still going to work hard to change things. For me he is always the same. He had a very big influence on me and we’ll always have this father and son relationship. He’s a fighter and a winner and he wants to win. Knowing him he’ll do everything to change things.”
“My time at Chelsea under Jose, I mean sometimes he goes hard on us to get the best out of us, we’d go there, go back and change things. Maybe… probably things are different. At the end of the day it’s football. As a player you know if you’re not playing well. You want to go back and try to change things.”
Mourinho and Essien have previously worked together at Chelsea and Real Madrid, and the duo are known to share mutual admiration and respect for each other. And, at a time when Mourinho seems to be at a crossroads at Manchester United, the support from the Ghanaian could go a long way.
As far as his future at Manchester United is concerned, last weekend’s win over Newcastle United would have helped put talks of a sacking on hold. Mourinho would now hope it sparks a turnaround for him and his charges, just as the Chelsea legend has predicted.
