LONDON, United Kingdom, Dec 6 – Former Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o believes Jose Mourinho won’t succeed at Manchester United unless he adopts a change in style.
Eto’o was a key player for Mourinho’s treble-winning Inter Milan team in 2010 after being signed by the Portuguese from Barcelona the year before.
At the time, Mourinho’s reputation was at its highest, which contributed him taking over the Real Madrid hotseat before returning to the Premier League for a second stint at Chelsea and now, United.
Upon his return to England, Mourinho won his third Premier League title during his second season of his second spell at Stamford Bridge, but was sacked 12 months ago with the Blues languishing near the relegation zone.
Eto’o, who again played under Mourinho at Chelsea, believes his old mentor has grown out of touch with the way the football is played nowadays.
“I discovered someone exceptional when I came to Inter. At Chelsea, it was already a bit difficult,” Eto’o is quoted as saying by FourFourTwo.
“Jose has changed a lot. He asked for three years to relaunch Manchester United, but you have to get your team playing, you can’t defend continually. Football isn’t like that anymore.
“Let’s be clear: I’ve nothing against Jose. He is able to pick someone, tell him ‘you are the best’ and he’ll have a very good game. But football is evolving.”