Jose Mourinho fires shot at Man City during box-office press conference by insisting Man United will have to ‘pay him a bonus and give him a medal’ if former rivals are stripped of 2018 title
- Jose Mourinho finished second with Manchester United in the 2017/2018 season
- However, they were some 19 points behind eventual champions Man City
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Jose Mourinho took aim at Manchester City and his old rival Pep Guardiola by joking that he has still not given up hope of bagging a bonus from Manchester United for winning the Premier League title when their neighbors are punished retroactively for breaking financial rules.
Mourinho faces United as Fenerbahce boss in a Europa League match in Istanbul on Thursday evening and was in a typically mischievous mood as he appeared before the media at the Turkish club’s training ground.
Looking back on his time at United, and especially the 2017/2018 season when he finished second to his old rival Guardiola, Mourinho wondered aloud whether he could win the title if City were found guilty of the 115 charges facing they are confronted.
“As you know, we won the Europa League and finished second in the Premier League,” he said. ‘I think we still have a chance to win that competition because if they punish Man City with points, we might win that competition and then they have to pay me the bonus and give me the medal!’
The Red Devils finished second to their crosstown rivals that season, with Mourinho’s side finishing well behind City.
Jose Mourinho claimed that if Manchester City were retroactively stripped of the 2017/18 title he could be in line for a Premier League winners medal and bonus.
Pep Guardiola’s side romped to a record 100 points in the 2017/2018 season, finishing 19 ahead of United
City could have won the title by beating United in the Manchester derby in April 2018 and led 2-0 before Mourinho’s side fought back to win 3-2. Pep Guardiola’s men were crowned champions a week later when United lost at home to West Brom.
It was a remarkable and record-breaking year for Pep Guardiola and Co, who managed to reach an unprecedented 100 points.
Mourinho’s side, meanwhile, achieved an otherwise very creditable score of 81 after a top-flight season in which they won 25 games. The Portuguese describes second place as the greatest achievement of his career.
Speaking at a box office press conference, Mourinho also hinted at a return to the Premier League – where he took charge of United, Chelsea and Tottenham – as he wished his old club all the best.
“I will always repeat the same thing: I want them to be successful,” he added. ‘They don’t play me in the Premier League. Tomorrow . I wish everyone there the best: the coaches, the players, everyone. There are only three or four players left from my time.
‘You may think I’m bluffing or playing mind games, I’m not playing anything. They get better results than they should. Sooner or later they will succeed, hopefully sooner or later, and maybe one day I will go back to the Premier League.’
Since moving to Turkiye, Mourinho has impressed in the Super Lig, with his side sitting fourth in the standings, eight points behind bitter rivals Galatasaray.
However, it is because of his antics on the touchline that he has perhaps attracted the most attention from the media, including placing a laptop screen directly in front of a camera with a recording of what he deemed a refereeing error.
Mourinho was also asked about his thoughts on United after leaving the club in 2018, and in particular his thoughts on why they have experienced inconsistencies over the past 18 months.
Mourinho took over as manager at Fenerbahce last summer and is preparing for the confrontation with his former club
‘To be honest, I didn’t think about it for a minute. I have been wishing Manchester United the best since the moment I left. I left for the club, for the fans, with a good feeling.
‘I want the best for them. If they’re not doing amazingly well, that’s not something that makes me happy, but at the same time I don’t have time and there’s no point in thinking about what happened, what didn’t happen.’
Manchester City are currently facing charges of 115 breaches of Premier League financial rules while the case is ongoing. The hearing started last month.
Although the top champions vehemently deny they did anything wrong, if found guilty, possible punishments could include expulsion from the Premier League or perhaps stripping them of titles.
