Erik ten Hag ruthlessly hit back at Jose Mourinho after the former Manchester United manager moaned that he didn’t receive the same level of support as the Dutchman.
The Manchester United boss has faced criticism in his second season in charge at Old Trafford after the Red Devils underwhelmed in their Premier League campaign.
Erik ten Hag’s men can no longer finish inside the Premier League top four and United will be without Champions League football in the following season.
United crashed out of the Champions League earlier this season after finishing bottom of Group A, while the Red Devils’ Carabao Cup defence fell well short of expectations.
Despite the Red Devils’ up-and-down season, United could still end the season on somewhat of a high note if they capture the FA Cup trophy.
Ten Hag reached his second consecutive FA Cup final after United fended off a semi-final upset against Coventry City at Wembley last month.
United came within touching distance of the FA Cup trophy last season, but they fell short at the final hurdle after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in 2023.
The Premier League club will be hopeful of avoiding an FA Cup final repeat when they face defending champions Manchester City on 25th May at Wembley.
Man Utd boss Ten Hag responds to Mourinho
Erik ten Hag recently opened up about his own struggles at United, including the Red Devils not landing key transfer targets for him.
The 54-year-old Dutchman wanted Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, having previously worked with the Netherlands international at Ajax.
Another important target for Ten Hag was former Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who was heavily linked with United before he signed for Bayern Munich last summer.
Ten Hag turned to the signing of Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund after United failed to snap up Harry Kane from Spurs in 2023.
Speaking to ESPN, the former Ajax boss took a cheeky swipe at Jose Mourinho by saying he was the only United manager since 2013 to sign the ‘players he wanted.’
“Apart from Mourinho, the manager didn’t get the players they wanted, and that is what you need,” Ten Hag said.
“I am confident we will achieve our goals, but it is a tough competition. It is not a two-horse race anymore.
“There are seven, eight [teams in the Premier League] who all go for the title, who all have very good squads.
“So, if you want to go to the title, you have to construct that squad.”
What did Mourinho say about Ten Hag?
Mourinho, who has been out of management since January, took a cheeky swipe at United manager Ten Hag over the support he has received at Old Trafford.
The 61-year-old replaced Louis van Gaal in the Old Trafford dugout in 2016 and enjoyed success at United, including lifting a Europa League and a League Cup.
Mourinho’s spell at United came to an end in 2018 with his sacking, but the ‘Special One’ has candidly opened up about his time at the Premier League club.
The former Roma and Chelsea boss insisted that he “didn’t have” the same support network as Ten Hag after predominately working with Ed Woodward.
“My relationship with [former chief executive] Ed Woodward was good. Good as in the personal point of view,” he told The Daily Telegraph in April.
“Even now we send an SMS. But from a professional point of view, it was not the best.
“I am who I am. I am a football man. Ed comes from a different background and what Ten Hag has in his time at Manchester United I didn’t have.
“I didn’t have that level of support. I didn’t have that level of trust. So, I left sad, because I felt I was in the beginning of the process.
“In some moments, I felt if they trusted me and believed in my experience things could be different.”