Jose Mourinho sacked by Manchester United: His Old Trafford reign in quotes

Jose Mourinho has been sacked as manager of Manchester United following their 3-1 loss to Liverpool on Sunday.

Mourinho was typically outspoken throughout his time at Old Trafford, having multiple run-ins with players and managers alike.

From the occasional glimpses of the old charisma to the anger which dominated the last few months, we take a look back at his Manchester United reign in quotes.

July 2016 - Jose's explosive first press conference

"This is not a dream job. This is reality. I am Manchester United manager. The reality is that this is a job that everyone wants and I have it.

"There are some managers that the last time they won a title was 10 years ago. Some of them the last time they won a title was never. The last time I won a title was one year ago, not 10 years ago or 15 years ago so if I have a lot to prove, imagine the others.

"You know how many young players I promoted to the first team from academies? Forty-nine. Some of them are big names, they are Champions League winners in the Euros, playing for national teams. One lie repeated many times sometimes looks true but it will never be true.

"He (Sir Alex Ferguson) will always be welcome to the training ground. His opinion is important to me, the same way so many legends love this club. I will try and learn from them."

August 2016 - United re-sign Paul Pogba

Mourinho hails the return of the Frenchman for a then-world record fee of £89m from Juventus.

"Paul is one of the best players in the world and will be a key part of the United team I want to build here for the future.

"He is quick, strong, scores goals and reads the game better than many players much older than he is. At 23, he has the chance to make that position his own here over many years.

He is young and will continue to improve; he has the chance to be at the heart of this club for the next decade and beyond.

September 2016 - Mourinho singles out Luke Shaw for poor display

United win their first three matches, but then a 3-1 defeat at Watford is the third successive loss. Mourinho singles out Luke Shaw following the setback at Vicarage Road.

"Today for the second goal, [Nordin] Amrabat is on the right side, and our left back is 25 metres distance from him, instead of five metres. But even at 25 metres, then you have to jump and go press. But no, we wait."

October 2016 - United are beaten 4-0 by Chelsea on Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge

"We made an incredible defensive mistake, with capitals. I must say we made an incredible defensive mistake, with capitals, in the first minute. And then the game is different.

"We put ourselves in a situation where we gave them the game they wanted."

November, 6 2016 - Mourinho v Shaw II

Shaw declares himself unavailable to face Swansea. United win the match 3-1 at the Liberty Stadium, but Mourinho couldn't resist taking a swipe at players with a low pain threshold.

There is a difference between the brave, who want to be there at any cost, and the ones for who a little pain can make a difference.

"If I were to speak with the many great football people of this team, they will say many times they played without being 100 per cent. For the team you have to do anything. That is my way of seeing."

March, 13 2017 - Mourinho blasts referee Oliver and responds to Chelsea fans

United exit the FA Cup after losing at Chelsea, with Ander Herrera sent off during the 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

"I think we all watched the match until the red card and after the red card and then we can compare the decision of the two yellow cards in this case with other ones that were not given, but I don't want to go in that direction.

"Mr Michael Oliver - a referee with fantastic potential. Manchester United were a bit unlucky. In four matches, three penalties and one red card in such an early moment of the game but again I cannot change that."

Until the moment they have a manager that wins four Premier Leagues for them, I'm the number one. Until then, 'Judas' is number one.

April, 1 2017 - Mourinho v Shaw III

After the West Brom stalemate: "It's difficult for him to be on the bench because I cannot compare him with Ashley Young, with Darmian, with [Daley] Blind.

"I cannot compare the way he trains, the way he way he commits, the focus, the ambition. He is a long way behind."

July 2017: Mourinho compares Pogba to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo...

"[Lionel] Messi and Neymar, there is only one; there is not two. [Luis] Suarez, [Andres] Iniesta, [Gerard] Pique, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Gareth] Bale, [Luka] Modric, Toni Kroos; there is only one so they can only play for one club, not for two clubs.

"We can't have them, they belong to the clubs. But I have to say that Paul Pogba showed the level... he showed he belongs to that level. He is a young guy and made in the club academy and has the conditions to be captain in the future."

July 2017 - Mourinho makes dig at Conte's hair transplant

Conte took a veiled shot at Mourinho in the summer after guiding his side to the Premier League title.

Speaking in July, Conte delivered a warning to his players, saying: "Two years ago Chelsea finished 10th. That cannot happen again. We know the difficulty and for sure we want to avoid the Mourinho season with Chelsea.

"The coaches of the previous two champions [Chelsea and Leicester] both lost their jobs [the next season] and we are working very well to find the best solutions and use them."

The United boss was reluctant to return fire directly, but couldn't resist a subtle acknowledgement of the efforts made by the former Juventus midfielder in elaborately restoring his hairline.

"I don't know," he said. "I could answer in many different ways but I'm not going to lose my hair to speak about Antonio Conte."

October 17, 2017 - Mourinho responds to negative press after Liverpool stalemate

"Not that I read it a lot, but sometimes when I read the press - not only English but Portuguese - I feel that sometimes defending properly it is seen as a crime. But it is not. That's why we controlled the game because we defended properly."

Later asked if United were unfairly treated when onlookers talk about their defensive approach, he said: "You know, with other managers, with other players, I'm pretty sure that yes [they get an easier ride} but that's not the problem for us.

"And there is another situation, maybe I'm guilty of it: I never speak about injuries.

Other managers, they cry, they cry, they cry when some player is injured. I don't cry."

December 23, 2017 - Mourinho on team's 'childish' decisions

Leicester score a last-minute equaliser, leaving Mourinho once more lamenting his side's shortcomings.

"Some players they have childish decisions and time helps them to have maturity and to decide better but some other players stay with childish decisions until the end of their career."

December 29, 2017 - Mourinho on competing financially with City

Trailing Manchester City by 15 points, Mourinho makes the extraordinary claim that it will be 'difficult' for United to compete with City's 'no limits' on spending.

"The last [few] years the market is going in such a direction, or you belong to one of these clubs where there is no limit and you buy what you want. There is no limit, no Financial Fair Play, there is nothing. You do what you want and it's hard, it's hard [for the rest]. I think my boys are doing what they can."

Asked if it would be possible to compete with City as a result, Mourinho added: "I don't want to take any credit away from what they [City] are doing, players and staff and club overall, not at all, but it's difficult [to compete]. Is it possible? Yes, it's possible.

"Sometimes if you don't have that financial... I don't say potential because I think potentially we have [it] as a club - but not that profile of club where there are no limits, and the only thing that matters is to get the best, there is only one way [to compete], which is patience and calm and time."

It's not Paul's fault that he made much more money than Paul Scholes. It's not Paul Pogba's fault, it's just the way football is.

January 5, 2018 - Mourinho infers that Conte is a clown

Perhaps with Conte's celebrations in October 2016 still etched in his memory, Mourinho suggested that rival managers behaved like 'clowns' on the touchline while declaring his commitment to Manchester United.

"Because I don't behave as a clown on the touchline, it means that I lost my passion.

"I prefer to behave the way I am doing it, much more mature, better for my team and myself, I don't think you have to behave like a crazy guy on the touchline to have that passion."

January 25, 2018 - Sanchez the 'roundest, juiciest orange'

United wrapped up the signing of Alexis Sanchez in a swap deal with Arsenal which saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan going the other way.

By beating off rivals Manchester City to his signature, he said: "You like the ones at the top. They are so nice and so orange and so round and so full of juice.

"When you see a tree with amazing oranges at the top of the tree and then you cannot get there and you say, 'I got the lower ones because I don't like the ones at the top'.

"But you can't get there, so you say 'I don't want to go there' or 'I prefer the other ones'. I think it reminds me a little bit of that story."

March 16, 2018 - The extraordinary 12-minute defence and "football heritage"

United had just been knocked out of the Champions League by Sevilla and the Portuguese was speaking ahead of the club's FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton.

There is something that I used to call football heritage - I try to translate from my Portuguese, which is almost perfect to my English that is far from perfect.

"But translation, word by word is something like football heritage and what a manager inherits is something like is that the last time Manchester United won the Champions League, which didn't happen a lot of times, was in 2008. The (last) final was 2011.

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"Since 2011, 2012 out in the group phase. The group was almost the same group as we had this season: Benfica, Basel and Galati from Romania. Out in the group phase.

"In 2013, out at Old Trafford in the last-16. I was in the other bench (as Real Madrid manager).

"In 2014, out in the quarter-final.

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"In 2015, no European football.

"In 2016, comes back to European football, out in the group phase, goes to Europa League and on the second knockout out, out of Europa League.

"On 2017, play Europa League, win Europa League with me and goes back to Champions League.

"In 2018, win the group phase with 15 points in possible 18 and loses at home the last 16.

"So, in seven years with four different managers, once not qualified for Europe, twice out in the group phase and the best was a quarter-final. This is football heritage.

"And if you want to go to the Premier League, the last victory was 12-13 and in the four consecutive seasons, United finished fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh - or seventh, fourth, five and six.

"So, in the last four years the best was fourth. This is football heritage."

Signs of cracks during pre-season tour of USA

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"This is not our team. We started the game with almost half of the players who are not even going to belong to our squad on August 9. The majority of the players that played are not going to play - some of them are not even going to belong to the squad.

"This is not our squad. Reinforcements, you mean players that I would like to buy, that's another thing, but this is not my squad. This is not even half my squad, or 30 per cent of it. So don't look to this.

"I would like two more players. I don't think I'm going to have two. I think it's possible I'm going to have one. I gave my club a list of five names a few months ago."

July 29, 2018 - Mourinho's dig at Martial

The Portuguese shows his confrontational management style once more by taking aim at Anthony Martial after he chose to stay in Paris after the birth of his second child.

"He has the baby and after the baby is born - beautiful baby, full of health, thank God. He should be here and he is not here."

August 18, 2018 - Man City documentary 'shows you can't buy class'

Mourinho accused Manchester City of a lack of class after the airing of their behind-the-scenes documentary 'All or Nothing'.

"You can have a fantastic movie while respecting others.

"You don't need to be disrespectful to have a fantastic movie. You can be a rich club and buy the best players in the world but you cannot buy class and they showed that clearly, that was really obvious."

August 28, 2018 - Mourinho's 'three titles' defence

United are beaten convincingly by Tottenham, and despite the 3-0 reverse being the worst home defeat ever of Mourinho's career, he's keen to remind reporters of his pedigree.

"We lost last season here against Sevilla [last season in the Champions League last 16] and we were booed, because we deserved, because we were not good, because we were not dangerous enough, because Sevilla deserved to win the match. We were booed, and deservedly.

"Today the players left the pitch after losing at home and they were applauded, because they deserved it, so keep trying, and trying, and trying, and keep trying. Just to finish, do you know what was the result?

"This [holding three fingers up]. 3-0, 3-0. Do you know what this is? 3-0. But it also means three Premierships and I won more Premierships alone than the other 19 managers together. Three for me and two for them two. So respect man, respect, respect, respect."

August 31, 2018 - Mourinho defends United record

"I am the manager of one of the greatest clubs in the world, but I am also one of the greatest managers in the world. I had last season great success. I had great success last season, that's what you probably don't want to admit.

"I analyse my performance myself, and for me it's more important what I think than what you think. I repeat that two seasons ago we had a fantastic season by winning the Europa League. Everybody thought Atletico Madrid were amazing because they won the Europa League after being knocked out of the Champions League.

We won the Europa League because that was our level.

"We are the last team in England to win a European trophy.

And, I repeat, I won eight titles. I am the only manager in the world that won in Italy, Spain and England, and by winning eight titles, not small titles or countries. My second position last season is one of my greatest achievements in football. I think."

September 2018: Pogba stripped of vice-captaincy

"The only truth [to the reports] is that I made the decision for Paul not to be the second captain anymore. But no fallout, no problems at all. The same person that decided Paul is not the second captain anymore is the same person that decided Paul was the second captain - myself.

"I'm the manager I can make these decisions, no fall out at all, no problems at all. Just a decision I do not have to explain."

November 2018: Mourinho accuses players of lacking heart

Mourinho turned on his players again when United were held to a goalless draw at home to struggling Crystal Palace in November.

"Not enough intensity, not enough desire."

"It was a game we need to win, and my feeling is that there was not enough from the heart.

"You must play with brain, we must play also with heart and I think [there was] not enough heart.

"What's the solution? You cannot change players' natures dramatically.

"The solution is that probably I have to make certain choices based on heart, and then probably I will blame myself because I will think heart is not enough and I am missing here some quality."

December 2018: Mourinho bemoans lack of physicality

Mourinho went for his players again after Sunday's loss to Liverpool, accusing them of lacking intensity and physicality to rival Liverpool's.

We have lots of players that I could consider injury prone.

"We have lots of players that I could consider injury prone because some of our players are always injured and it is not with me.

"When you are permanently injured, physicality is very difficult to get. Then there are qualities that a player has or does not have. You cannot improve or make them have it.

"[Liverpool] are fast, they are intense, they are aggressive, they are physical, they are objective. They play 200 miles per hour with and without the ball. I am still tired just looking at Robertson! He makes 100-metre sprints per minute. Absolutely incredible. These are qualities."

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