Gary Neville discusses what the future may hold for Jose Mourinho after Manchester United’s dramatic 3-2 win over Newcastle United on Saturday. Neville launched a passionate defence of Mourinho on Friday Night Football in response to newspaper reports that the former Chelsea boss would be sacked this weekend regardless of the result at Old Trafford. Speaking for the first time since arguing that changes need to be made at boardroom – rather than managerial – level at United, Neville has explained his furious reaction on Friday and what United’s come-from-behind win could mean for the club and Mourinho. Neville also offers his opinion on what the immediate future may now hold for Mourinho, how ‘The Special One’ can turn things around, and what United’s board must now do to help their manager be a success at the club.
“I was at the game, and I was always going to be at the game irrespective of what happened on Friday evening,” Neville told Sky Sports. “In television, you can sometimes have a week to think what you’re about to say, but sometimes something just hits you mid-show that you’re not prepared for and you have to react and that’s what happened on Friday evening. “I spoke from the heart in terms of what I felt, and I’ve felt it for quite a bit. The problem at the club isn’t just with the manager at all. The manager takes responsibility for the performances, but the recruitment and the way the club has been operated, the leaks over the last few years to me have been undermining the managers and the football staff. “In some ways, it was better for Jose Mourinho to win like that [against Newcastle on Saturday] than it was to win 3-0. If you beat Newcastle 3-0, everyone would say well Manchester United should beat Newcastle comfortably, the money they’ve spent, where Newcastle are in the league.
“But the way United were playing for 60, 70 minutes, and the way Newcastle were playing, you think that if they really aren’t with the manager, if they really don’t want to wear the shirt, if they really don’t have that spirit, we’re really now going to find out. “But the players in the last 25 minutes responded, and they were fighting for everything, they were pushing until the end. It was a little bit messy, it wasn’t the perfect performance in football terms. “If Jose watches it back, I’m sure he could make a horror video with some of the mistakes his team made. He had to make substitutions, change the system and tactics, I’m not sure what they were playing at the end, but it was a good day in some ways as it demonstrated the spirit at the club. “It brought the fans, the managers and players together, and they’re the key elements of a football club. There has to be that connection between them. The last few weeks, there has been that divide between the manager and some of the players. Saturday was a good moment, because they all came together in that last 25 minutes.
“It was a good day, but all it does probably is bump the problem down the road, in the sense that in a couple of weeks’ time they play Chelsea away. On the following Tuesday, they face Juventus at Old Trafford.
