Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho said his former clubs Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are the favourites to win the Europa League as Premier League sides are on a “different level” compared to teams from other European leagues.
Fenerbahce are preparing for their Europa League group phase game against United, a club Mourinho managed for two-and-a-half seasons – winning the competition in 2017 – while he also guided Spurs to a League Cup final.
“If I have to say now which are the two biggest candidates to win the Europa League, I think it’s easy – Manchester United and Tottenham,” Mourinho told reporters on Wednesday.
“The Premier League is a different level of quality, intensity, pace, tactical culture – a different level of everything. Tomorrow, I think we are going to play against one of the two strongest teams.”
Mourinho led United to a second-placed finish in his last full season but lost his job the following campaign in December 2018 when they were closer to the relegation zone than the league leaders.
However, the 61-year-old said he “didn’t lose one minute thinking about” whether the club has improved since his exit, adding that he wished the Old Trafford side and manager Erik ten Hag the best.
“I left with a good feeling for the club and its fans and I want the best for them,” Mourinho said.
“If things aren’t going amazingly well for them, it’s not something that makes me happy. But I have no time, it doesn’t make sense for me to be thinking about what happened or what didn’t happen.
“What happened for sure is that they now keep faith in the coach, supporting the coach who is staying season after season. That means stability and trust, giving him conditions to keep his job.”
While Ten Hag has been under pressure to deliver after two full seasons at the club, Mourinho believes the Dutchman will eventually succeed even if results have not gone their way.
“They will succeed sooner or later. Hopefully sooner and before, one day, I go back to the Premier League and they become my opponents. At this moment they are just my opponents for one match,” he said.
When asked what precautions he’d take facing Fenerbahce if he was the United boss, the Portuguese said: “I’m not the coach of Manchester United. I don’t see any reason for Manchester United to be afraid of Fenerbahce but I think they know it’s not an easy game for them. If they think it’s easy, if they come thinking it’ll be easy, it is the wrong approach and I don’t think that will be the approach. They know the game can be difficult for them.
“I think they will come with maximum strength, that’s what I’d do.”
Mourinho also made a quip about the charges made against Manchester City for allegedly breaching the Premier League’s financial rules during his time at Old Trafford and wondered whether he may be awarded the title after finishing second behind City in the 2017-18 season, while he was in charge: “That was a difference in relation to me, we won the Europa League and finished second in the Premier League. I think we still have a chance to win that league, maybe they punish Manchester City with points, we win that league. They have to pay me the bonus and give me the medal.”
