Paddy McNair has revealed that new manager Jose Mourinho has been texting his Manchester United players to wish them luck ahead of Euro 2016, reports Daily Mail.
McNair is in the Northern Ireland squad to face Poland in Nice on Sunday, and received a message from Mourinho at the squad’s camp outside Lyon.
The 21-year-old admits that the tournament will give him a chance to impress the new manager after making just four starts last season under Louis van Gaal.
‘Of course, I’m sure he’ll be watching,’ he said. ‘I’ll be trying my best and I hope he likes what he sees.
‘He sent me a text message wishing me good luck for the tournament so that was nice of him.’
McNair also confirmed that Sir Alex Ferguson will be going to the game in Nice after bumping into the former United boss after last month’s FA Cup final at Wembley.
He added: ‘I got into the hotel lift and he was in it. He said good luck for France and told me he’s going to the Poland game in Nice.’
McNair is convinced Northern Ireland are ready to face the Poles and Robert Lewandowski after a fortnight training in Austria and France with the best preparation on and off the pitch.
He added: ‘When you go on the pitch, you know your job, and make sure you’re ready to go. On set-pieces, you need to know where you are. Even away from the pitch getting treatment, the massages, make sure your body is right.
‘I actually quite enjoy looking at the video clips and seeing what I’m doing right, what I’m doing wrong; seeing what the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses are.
‘With Van Gaal we did a lot of video analysis and a lot of stuff on opposition so it’s not really something new to me.
‘Poland are favourites but we’ll be going into the game with a game plan. We’ve watched videos and I think there are areas to exploit. Lewandowski scores a lot of goals but I don’t think he’s their only threat. Milik and Grosicki too. We need to keep an eye on all three of them.’
Meanwhile, McNair backed his young United teammate Marcus Rashford to make an impact for England at Euro 2016 after his remarkable breakthrough at Old Trafford this season.
‘He came in at the end of season and it was breathtaking in a way, how well he adapted and the goals he scored,’ said McNair. ‘You see him in training, he’s got a lot of ability and I think he will be a top player.
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