Jose Mourinho marked his arrival at Manchester United by vowing to play Wayne Rooney as an attacker and insisting he was not responsible for Ryan Giggs' departure after 29 years at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese told United to forget the last three, disappointing seasons, as he said he would not be satisfied with a fourth-place finish in his debut campaign.
He declared himself satisfied with United’s progress in the transfer market, with the Borussia Dortmund No 10 Henrikh Mkhitaryan set to join Villarreal defender Eric Bailly and Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic as his new recruits, with one more pivotal buy envisaged.
Yet while the arrivals of Ibrahimovic, who scored 50 goals for Paris Saint-Germain last season, and Mkhitaryan suggested Rooney’s only role in United’s strongest side would be in a deeper role, Mourinho vowed not to pick the captain in midfield.
• More: Mourinho arrives in photos
The 30-year-old lost his place in the United and England forward lines last season, with Marcus Rashford’s emergence meaning he ended Louis van Gaal’s reign as a midfielder.
Rooney mustered only eight league goals last season, his lowest tally for United, but is the second-highest scorer in their history with 245 goals.
And Mourinho said: “Something that will never change which is the natural appetite to put the ball in the net. Maybe he is not a striker, not a No. 9, anymore but for me he will never be a No. 6, playing 50 metres from the goal. You can tell me his pass is amazing but my pass is also amazing without pressure. To put the ball in the net is the most difficult thing. For me he will be a No. 9, a No. 10 or a nine and a half but never a No. 6 or a No. 8.”
Giggs made a record 963 appearances for United and served as a coach under David Moyes and Van Gaal’s assistant. Mourinho, who has kept his long-term No. 2 Rui Faria as his right-hand man, was criticised for the Welshman’s departure.
But the Portuguese, who promised the door would always be open for Giggs at Old Trafford, insisted: “It is not my responsibility that Ryan is not at the club. The job Ryan wanted is the job the club decided to give me. Ryan wanted to be Manchester United manager.”
Giggs was an emblem of United’s commitment to youth. Mourinho was adamant that suggestions he will not trust in emerging talent are untrue. “You know how many young players I promote to the first team from academies?” he asked rhetorically, having come equipped with a list. “Forty-nine. Some of them are big names, some today are Champions League winners or playing in the Euros. But one lie repeated many times sometimes looks true.”
Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, United have finished seventh, fourth and fifth. Mourinho listed the league positions that were indictments of his predecessors and reasons for the recruitment of a manager who has won eight league titles in four countries.
Mourinho was adamant his aims went beyond simply outperforming Moyes and Van Gaal. “The last three years are to forget,” he said. “I could approach this job in a defensive point of view by saying the last three years the best we did was fourth. I can’t go. It is my nature. I could be quite pragmatic to say let’s work and try and get back into the Champions League. I prefer to be more aggressive and say we want to win.”
The 53-year-old took a veiled swipe at Van Gaal, who had a habit of playing versatile players in a range of positions and talking about his confusing brand of football. “I was never very good playing with the words or hiding behind words and hiding behind philosophies,” he said. “I am more a manager that likes specialists and not so much the multi-functional players because I am very clear in my approach.”
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