Mourinho – I cannot wait to start at United

José Mourinho has given his first interview as Manchester United manager, saying that he is honoured to have taken charge of the Reds.

The 53-year-old was officially announced as the new United boss this morning, taking over from Louis van Gaal, after speculation ramped up this week that the Portuguese would be taking over at Old Trafford.

In an exclusive interview with MUTV, he said that it was the right moment to take the United job:

I feel great. I think it comes in the right moment of my career because Manchester United is one of these clubs you need to be prepared for because it’s what I call a giant club and giant clubs must be for the best managers and I think I am ready for it.

I’m happy, I’m proud, I’m honoured, I’m everything but the reality is what I love is to work and I cannot wait for the 7 July [start of pre-season].

Mourinho also outlined his ambitions for United, stating that he would like to forget about United’s past three seasons under David Moyes and Van Gaal:

I think we can look at our club in two perspectives – one perspective is the past three years and the other is the club history. I think I prefer to forget the past three years and I prefer to focus on the giant club I have in my hands now.

I think what the fans are expecting me to say is: “I want to win”. I think what the players need to listen is “I want to win”. And more than that, I need the supporters and the players to feel that I say that, but I think we can really.

Twitter: Jose is a Red! Watch his first interview in full here: https://t.co/wsBBggGc0X #WelcomeJose https://t.co/QgnLJcLfTW (@ManUtd)

I know what they can give me. I think they know what I can give them. I have always felt empathy from United fans and that has pushed me to say things that my other clubs weren’t happy about.