Jose Mourinho admits that he “lost his passion” while in charge of Manchester United

Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has admitted that he lost his passion for management during his Manchester United tenure.

The Portuguese spent two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, winning the Europa League and the League Cup in his first season at the helm.

And Mourinho, speaking after Spurs’ 3-2 triumph over West Ham on Saturday, now concedes that he was unhappy towards the end of his spell in charge of United.

"I have to admit, yes [I lost my passion]. And when you are not happy people feel it," he told BT Sport. "That happiness that you can influence to be better and more enthusiastic yes, I have to admit it, yes."

“I was really happy for one hour. We were playing well, we were bringing things to the game that we trained a little bit. I was really happy, and we had the [chance for] 4-0 to kill the game.

“I think we are lucky that I have so many years of Premier League [experience] that I told the players at half-time, ‘Even if we score for 3-0, minute 85 the game will be open.’ And I think they understood that.”

“I’m happy with everyone. But if you ask me if I’m happy with Dele: yes. I spent a few minutes with him in training and also in our social life, outside the pitch.

“The best Dele has to be back. He’s too good not to be in the national team; he’s too good not to be a fundamental player for Spurs; he’s too good not to be one of the best players in the world.

“So he has to develop, he has to start from now. Hopefully without injures, hopefully with some stability from a tactical point of view. He’s a fantastic player and today he showed it.”

Long read: The making of Jose Mourinho – how did he go from 'the translator' to 'the Special One’?

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Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).