Jose Mourinho at Man Utd: 7 times he predicted the future at Old Trafford

On Monday, Wayne Rooney became the latest of a number of big names to criticise the recent form of Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford. With just five goals in 26 appearances this season, the 24-year-old has proven ineffective at leading the line for the Red Devils – a problem that former boss Jose Mourinho identified back all the way back in 2019.

Mourinho, who was in charge at Old Trafford for two-and-a-half years before being sacked in December 2018, has never been shy about voicing his opinion on any subject – and certainly had plenty to say about the state of the club, both during and after his reign.

Not every Mourinho rant on United had sound reasoning behind them but, in hindsight, a number did.

Below, starting with his views on the woefully out-of-form Rashford, we’ve taken a look at seven occasions where Mourinho was pretty much spot on with his comments.

“To get the record and be Manchester United’s highest goal scorer is f***ing massive,” Rooney told The Sun recently when speaking about Rashford’s long-term potential.

“What I hope is that Marcus Rashford f***ing gets his head out of his a*** and goes and breaks that record. He is a Manchester lad.”

While Rooney might believe that Rashford has all the tools to become the most prolific player in the club’s history, Mourinho was seemingly never convinced by the England international’s ability as a pure striker.

“I am not going to say he cannot ever be a number nine, he can be a dangerous number nine especially if the opposition is not pragmatic, is not close and is giving spaces to attack. He can be dangerous in transitions,” Mourinho explained during an appearance for Sky Sports in 2019, per Goal.

“But when Manchester United is a team that normally plays