Big shoes to fill
Succeeding the most successful manager in football history is a daunting task. Jose Mourinho’s predecessors were Louis van Gaal and David Moyes but they never managed to fill the boots of Sir Alex Ferguson. So the great Scot’s big shoes were waiting to be laced up when Mourinho arrived at Old Trafford.
The Special One is looking the likeliest of the three to make Ferguson proud. On an eight-game winning streak, the Red Devils play Hull in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
Paying his respects
The way Mourinho is conducting himself off the pitch has also won plaudits. The Telegraph reported the extent to which he has gone to pay his respects to the legendary boss: “Mourinho disclosed in an interview last month that he was not one to be haunted by “ghosts” of the past and had made a point of inviting Ferguson to United’s Carrington training headquarters to watch training, talk to the players and share lunch with him.
“And it has since emerged that, when Ferguson recently requested permission to travel on the United team coach to an away match, Mourinho assured him that he did not need to ask and could sit anywhere he wanted, including in the seat reserved for the manager.”
Mourinho enjoyed a good relationship with Ferguson when they were on opposing sides. Many were surprised that he wasn’t chosen as his original successor. Now it feels as though the true heir to the throne is sitting on it.