Louis van Gaal’s departure from Manchester United had been speculated for more than six months and now that Mourinho is set to take charge at Old Trafford, there are bound to be a lot of changes in the playing style and personnel. While there is a danger that youngsters like Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Timothy Fosu-Mensah will be sidelined, there will also be players who will be looking forward to the new reign.
Some of the Manchester United players who failed to impress under Van Gaal will be looking forward to a new opportunity under the ‘special one’.
Here are 5 Manchester United players who will love having Mourinho in charge:
Memphis Depay
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Memphis Depay was supposed to be the signing which would change Manchester United’s fortunes this year. The Dutch winger had a terrific season with his former club PSV Eindhoven where he finished as the top scorer and won the Eredivisie title. Dubbed as the next “Cristiano Ronaldo”, Memphis was even handed the iconic number 7 shirt.
However, things soon started to go downhill for the pacy Dutchman with Van Gaal not trusting in his abilities. Depay has not lived up to his potential having scored only 7 goals this season. However, the appointment of Mourinho might get the best out of the talented winger.
The Portuguese manager always loves to play with speedy forwards such as Hazard, Ronaldo and Robben and Memphis will be looking forward to proving his worth. Depay himself in an interview with De Telegraaf seemed excited about the prospect of linking up with Jose Mourinho.
“If the arrival of Mourinho becomes official, I’ll ask Wesley Sneijder what kind of man he is. That’s interesting. It all sounds so, but it is not yet official.”
De Telegraaf then reminded Depay that former Internazionale midfielder Sneijder has Mourinho was the best coach he has ever worked under, to which the 22-year-old replied: “That’s a nice prospect.”
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney has been Manchester United’s talisman for a long time now and he will be eager to work with a serial winner like Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese manager is an avowed admirer of the England captain and Mourinho will be relishing the opportunity to work with a player of Rooney’s calibre.
Rooney has been starting in midfield in the recent past, but Mourinho has the tactical nous and guile to get the best out of Manchester United’s captain. Diego Milito is a striker who did spectacularly under Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan and Rooney will be hoping for a similar role under Jose.
One thing is for sure, no matter where Rooney plays for Manchester United this season, he will enjoy the full faith of Jose Mourinho.
Ander Herrera
Called by Paul Scholes himself as Manchester United’s best signing in 2014, it is fair to say that the Spanish midfielder has failed to live up to expectations. A midfielder full of running and good link up play, Herrara has struggled to stamp his authority on games under Louis van Gaal.
The veteran Dutch manager rarely trusted the Spaniard and it can be seen by the fact that he made only 27 appearances in the league with many of them coming off the bench. Jose Mourinho on the other hand, would like to have a midfielder capable of bombing up and down the pitch and provide neat link up play.
With the Portuguese manager not too fussy about possession, the Spaniard will be given more freedom to express himself and we might just see the best of Ander Herrara next season.
Phil Jones
Phil Jones has had terrible luck with injuries this season which has led to him making 13 appearances this season. Once considered to be among the most promising defenders in English football, Phil Jones has slowly faded away in the past two seasons under Van Gaal because of form and fitness issues.
Known for his physical power and build, Jones has been called a "jack of all trades" for his ability to play at right-back, at centre-back or as a defensive midfielder, Despite the suggestion that his best position is at centre-back, he often fills in at right-back. With his stocky build, opposition players have found it hard to bully Jones off the ball or out-muscle him.
Mourinho will be keen to get the best out of him and use him in in a way similar to how he used Branislav Ivanovic at Chelsea. Jones has all the ingredients to be a very good player and he will be relishing the opportunity to work under a defensive mastermind like Jose Mourinho.
Morgan Schneiderlin
Morgan Schneiderlin has struggled for a regular starting berth at Manchester United, but there is a feeling that he is definitely a Mourinho type of player. Still one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League, Schneiderlin will definitely be part of Mourinho's plans.
Mourinho's fondness of playing with defensive midfielders is well known and he might just provide the encouragement and style of play needed to get the best out of the talented Frenchman. Schneiderlin, is a player who adds steel to the midfield when protecting the defence. He is also adept at breaking up play and setting up counter attacks.
The Portuguese manager will be eager to work with him and we might just see next season ss to why there was such a fuss about him when he was bought from Southampton this season.
