Former Chelsea and current New York City FC midfielder Frank Lampard has tabbed his former boss Jose Mourinho to succeed at Manchester United. The Special One replaced Louis van Gaal officially this week. However, the entire world of football media, since February, seemed to think that Mourinho to Old Trafford by May would be a done deal.
If Jose Mourinho moving to Man United was supposed to be a secret, then it was a very poorly kept one.
Frank Lampard, who played under Mourinho for both of the Manager’s Chelsea regimes, says the Portugese leader will bring a much needed “X factor” to Old Trafford.
“Jose will have a massive effect at United,” he told The Sun.
“He knows how to get a team winning by putting his own imprint on them. His personality reflects his teams and, looking from afar, Manchester United have needed that.
“They had a lot of quality in their squad but not much oomph. He has a base there but will bring in players and he will galvanize players. Jose gives them the X Factor – he did that at Chelsea. I know it didn’t end perfectly there but I can see him succeeding at United.
“Next season will be as competitive as it has been for a while because a lot of teams have something to prove. But he is a top manager and a team like United need a top manager. It’s brilliant for the Premier League that Jose is back. I had a great experience with him, especially during his first spell at Chelsea because he really helped me take my career onto the next level. I know what he brings to English football.
“I’m not a Manchester United fan but I don’t think anyone can say they aren’t licking their lips at the prospect of Mourinho, [Pep] Guardiola, [Jurgen] Klopp, [Antonio] Conte and [Arsene] Wenger all going up against each other next season.”
This follows up the response Frank Lampard gave when he was asked where Mourinho might end up during an appearance on ITV’s This Morning back on February 11th.
“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him much. I spoke to him briefly when he left Chelsea.”
“There’s a bit of a merry-go-round of managers at the minute and I think he’ll probably sit tight for a while and then will end up at a big club somewhere, because he’s a great manager.”
When asked about United, Lampard responded: “I think it’s a possibility. If Louis van Gaal goes on, which I think he’s said he’s going to leave at the end of the season at the latest, I think Mourinho’s the type of manager that will certainly come into their thinking.”
“He could certainly handle a club like that, that’s what he’s about,” Lampard concluded.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
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