Mourinho 'proud' of Manchester United career
Jose Mourinho said on Wednesday he is
"immensely proud" of his time at Manchester United but refused to
delve into the issues that played a part in his Old Trafford exit.
Club bosses sacked the Portuguese
manager on Tuesday following a 3-1 defeat at Anfield that left the 20-times
champions an embarrassing 19 points behind league leaders Liverpool after just
17 matches.
Former United striker Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer was announced as Mourinho's temporary replacement on Wednesday as the
club begins its search for a permanent replacement.
Mourinho lifted the Europa League,
League Cup and Community Shield in his first year at the club before finishing
runners-up in both the league and FA Cup, but things have unravelled since the
start of his third campaign at the helm.
The United boss has made his
frustrations about players and some of the club's decisions clear over recent
months but kept his feelings on such matters to himself in a statement released
the day after his sacking.
"I have been immensely proud to
wear the badge of Manchester United since the first day I arrived, and I
believe all United supporters recognise this," Mourinho said in a
statement released to Britain's Press Association.
"Just as was the case with my
previous clubs, I have worked with some wonderful people and I believe that
some will be my friends for life.
"I know that you are all aware of
my professional principles. Each time a chapter is closed I show my deepest
respect and I don't make any comments about my former colleagues."
The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and
Inter Milan boss told Sky Sports News he has a future beyond United.
"Manchester United has a future
without me and I have a future without Manchester United, so why should I now
be sharing with you or even with the supporters, any of my feelings?
"It's over. That's me and that's
the way I've always been and I was always very critical of managers that leave
clubs and then they come out and they speak about details of what happened and
who is to blame for this kind of situation -- that's not me. I just want to
finish, it happened yesterday and I'd like to say it's game over."