With his first season at Old Trafford nearly over, José Mourinho is still dividing opinions.
Has this campaign been a success? Some might say yes, especially if he wins both the Europa League as well as the EFL Cup, while others will point to a finish outside the top four as a failure with the squad at his disposal.
Of course, were he to fail to qualify for the Champions League altogether, then yes, the season would be considered a poor one by everyone at Manchester United.
Despite this, the Special One is still widely considered one of the best managers around, and possibly of all time when you take into account what he has won over the course of his career so far.
However, is he comparable to the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson? Peter Schmeichel doesn’t think so.
The former Manchester United goalkeeper was speaking to Le Matin in Switzerland during a promotional event for Tag Heuer.
He said: “You cannot compare anyone to Alex Ferguson. Mourinho is a different type of manager, and his philosophy is very different. For now, Mourinho and United are only at the ‘meeting’ stage. Ferguson created Manchester United. He moulded the club over 26 years.
“Managers these days live with the idea they won’t stay more than three years somewhere. Then, they move to something else. It’s also true for Mourinho who’s never spent more than three years anywhere. It’s engraved in his head, but that can change. We’ll see. Regardless, it will take him a lot of time and work before people even consider a comparison (to Sir Alex).”
While Manchester United have only lost four Premier League games under the Portuguese manager this season (which is one fewer than leaders Chelsea), the 14 draws have been crippling to the club’s top four ambitions.
Their painful inability to put away most of the chances they have created has been a key factor in this mediocre league campaign, and Mourinho certainly plans to address that during the summer transfer window.
Still, he’s a few league titles away at Manchester United from kickstarting comparisons to the great Scot.
