Mourinho reveals the Man Utd player he most loved coaching

Stuart Telford

• 16 Feb 2024 10:36 CST
• 3 min read

Jose Mourinho signed 11 players in his two years as Manchester United manager, but it was a surprise academy graduate whom he most fondly remembers.

Mourinho is once again looking for work after being sacked by Roma last month, and reports have emerged that he is looking to add German to his impressive linguistic repertoire with half an eye on the Bayern Munich job.

The Portuguese led Man Utd to second in the Premier League and a Europa League win in 2017, with a career favourite in Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the line, but it is Scott McTominay who left the biggest impression on him.

"The players that I most enjoyed [coaching] were the ones that gave me everything," he told Rio Ferdinand on the FIVE podcast. "And there are dozens and dozens and dozens, and maybe they aren't the most talented ones, just the ones that gave everything…

Mourinho: 'my boys'

"So I look to Raphael Varane [at Real Madrid] now at the end of his career, he is my kid.

"When I look to Scott McTominay, [Paul] Pogba on the bench, play Scott McTominay in Champions League against Sevilla, he is my boy. When I go club to club, I find my boys and they are always going to be my boys."

Mourinho handed McTominay his United debut in 2017 and the Scotland international has gone on to make 237 appearances in all competitions for the club.

He and Varane have been teammates at Old Trafford since 2021, when the Frenchman completed a €40m move from Madrid.

McTominay is valued at €14.9m by FootballTransfers' inhouse algorithm with an ETV of €38.7m, and the club have looked increasingly willing to help him realise his potential in recent months.

Another former Real man in Casemiro now has his head on the chopping block, with new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe having previously publicly criticised his signing.