In Lisbon the Napoli midfielder reunited with the coach who made him debut with the Manchester United shirt. And José greeted him with a joke…
“I owe a lot to the coach”, is the phrase that every player utters at least once in their life. Scott McTominay also said it about the first manager to believe in him during his time at Manchester United: “I owe a lot to Mourinho, he taught me how to train, he taught me how to play but above all he taught me humility.” It is the 2016-17 season, the one in which United would have won a Europa League, and on 17 May the Special One called the 21-year-old Scott from the bench and made him make his debut in the 84th minute of the 2-0 loss at Arsenal. Not an isolated presence, Mourinho is also focusing on the young McTominay for the following match against Crystal Palace, giving him a starting shirt. The following year Scott took off again under Mourinho’s management and made his Champions League debut against Benfica, in the match won by the Red Devils 1-0. The Special One has seen hundreds of players in their careers, but he remembers the story of the talents that made his debut perfectly: “When Scott trained in the first team he never took a walk, he arrived there to stay”, he admitted to Prime’s microphones before the Champions League match at da Luz. “If Scott owes me anything, it’s that I left Pogba out to let him play. In the history of every player there is a coach who puts him on the pitch for the first time when he is 17, 18. I was the one for the first time, everything else is thanks to him”, continued Mou, appearing proud of McTominay’s progress in the blue shirt, recalling the MVP award of last Serie A.
young people launched
—
“I told McTominay that these children that I brought in in the last few minutes are the next McTominays. The last one I brought in (José Neto ed.) I’m sure will make history.” Mourinho fell for it again, even in the match against Napoli which he put in the safe already at the beginning of the second half, he was “the first coach of” Josè Neto and Thiago Freitas, in a Champions League night that they will remember for a lifetime. Just like he did with Scott, just like he did dozens of young talents to whom he gave their first appearance on the pitch. From Serie A to the Premier League, Mourinho introduced illustrious names such as Casemiro, who made his debut before his farewell to Real Madrid. But also Fabinho, Diego Llorente and the now very Italian Alvaro Morata, who made his debut with Los Blancos at the age of 18. Still just of age, Mourinho also sent another Serie A acquaintance, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, into the field in his second experience as Chelsea manager. In his recent adventure as Roma coach, thanks to a limited squad, Mou even gave about fifteen young players their debut: from Pisilli to Mannini, passing through Faticanti. In short, there is always a saint in heaven behind the debut of a young player and, against all odds, that saint for many players is called Jose Mourinho.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED