John Obi Mikel has hailed former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho ahead of his return to Stamford Bridge with Manchester United on Sunday.
Mikel has just been asked whether Mourinho is a fading force and shakes his head in disgust.
Few players in the Premier League know Mourinho’s abilities better and the Nigeria midfielder is mystified that so many critics are writing him off.
Over the past 12 months, there has been some evidence for the prosecution. After all, he was sacked by Chelsea in December with the club just a point above the relegation zone.
And the 53-year-old has got off to an underwhelming start at Manchester United, with the club only winning just over half of their matches.
For a man who has won 18 trophies with four different clubs, including Chelsea, it makes worrying reading.
But Mikel told Standard Sport: “I have no doubts — he hasn’t lost any of his magic, not at all.
“When people start to question his qualities, he loves to prove a point, he thrives on it. He always wants to show people are wrong.
“I think he will bring Manchester United back to where Sir Alex Ferguson left them [as title winners in 2013] but he needs time. He is like an architect, he likes to build.
“Jose doesn’t always win the title in the first season — just look at Real Madrid or his second spell at Chelsea. Yes, he wants to win from the get-go but in the first year he gets to know how the club work, installs his formation and the way he wants the team to play.
“I’m not writing United off this season either but give him two to three years and he will definitely win big trophies at Old Trafford.”
On Sunday, Mourinho makes his first return to Stamford Bridge as United manager.
It is understandable why Mikel holds such affection for his former boss because the Portuguese signed him for Chelsea in 2006.
While Mourinho’s first departure from Chelsea shocked everyone in the game in 2007, few were surprised when he was given his marching orders by owner Roman Abramovich last year.
Chelsea had gone from champions in May to relegation candidates in just seven months and there was talk of unrest in the dressing room.
But Mikel said: “From what I know, he didn’t leave on bad terms with any player. I don’t see why everyone isn’t going to shake his hand beforehand on Sunday and, hopefully, afterwards, too.
“I never saw him fall out with anyone at the training ground or have an argument. If it happened I didn’t know about it.
“With Jose we tried everything to change the results and what was happening on the pitch. It was like a perfect storm. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong.
“We couldn’t get out of the rut. But credit to Jose, the guy tried every single thing he could do.
“In training we were working so hard, every mistake was corrected. He looked into every detail but we just couldn’t get out of it.
“Every shot was a goal, every rebound was a goal, every deflection was a goal. He gave it his all but, in the end, he just couldn’t get results. The club had to act.
“But it was always great to work with him. It is because of him that I am the player and man I am today. He brought me to light, he fought to bring me to Chelsea from Manchester United. I will always be grateful to him for what he’s done for me.”
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