Victor Moses has revealed that former manager Jose Mourinho never really spoke to him at Chelsea and was more concerned with his “own” players.
Moses was frozen out of first-team action under Mourinho, who decided he had no part to play in his system despite an impressive start to life at the club.
The former Liverpool flier says that, other than a phone call while he was on loan with the Reds, the Special One did not make the effort to talk to him.
The Nigerian has been at Chelsea since 2012, but has spent the majority of his time at the club out on loan, taking in spells with Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham over the last few seasons.
Mourinho came back for a second spell in charge of Chelsea in 2013, but Moses says he wasn’t interesting in helping him develop his game and didn’t really keep in touch while he was away on loan.
“He never spoke to me. I thought in my head: ‘He’s got his own players already’,” he told ESPN FC.
“I think we chatted a couple of times on the phone – he asked if I was alright at Liverpool [where Moses spent the 2013-14 season on loan], but that was it.”
Moses clearly feels that Mourinho didn’t give him a fair opportunity to prove himself at Chelsea, with his focus instead on a clique of established players and new arrivals.
None of the 25-year-old’s loan spells were particularly successful, with Moses operating on the fringes at all of the three Premier League clubs he spent time at.
Victor Moses of Chelsea celebrates scoring his sides third goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on October 15, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
However, under new boss Antonio Conte, Moses is thriving having been handed an important role as a right wingback in the Italian’s 3-4-3 system.
Moses has featured in seven of Chelsea’s eight Premier League games this season, scoring two goals and creating four chances, using his athleticism to help in attack and defence.
“The manager who is here now is giving everyone a chance – even the young lads,” Moses added.
“I’m pleased that he’s here and I’ve just got to go out there and enjoy my football. As long as you work hard, the manager will see it and he’ll give you an opportunity.
“When the new manager came in, I just wanted to see how it went. It’s a blessing for me that he enjoys the way I play and appreciates the effort I put in. It gives you a lot of confidence when the manager believes in you.”
Having shown impressive consistency he he likely to keep his place when Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge on Sunday with Manchester United for the first time since being sacked by the Blues in December.
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