The former United head coach, now in charge of Benfica, voiced his criticism after a 2-0 loss to Juventus, questioning decisions made by what he described as “the most important teams” when entrusting the role to coaches without a proven pedigree.
The remarks inevitably reignited debate around Mourinho’s own tenure at Old Trafford and United’s continued difficulties since his departure.
Mourinho managed Manchester United for just under two and a half years after arriving with an outstanding CV built on major success at Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter.
During the 2016/17 season, he delivered the Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield, before guiding United to a second-place finish in the Premier League the following campaign.
Mourinho has frequently described his spell at Old Trafford as the greatest achievement of his managerial career. Since he left, United have failed to win a European trophy and have struggled for consistency in the league.
United recently sacked Ruben Amorim and turned again to Michael Carrick as interim head coach, a figure Mourinho knows well from their time working together at Old Trafford.
“For me, it is a surprise when coaches with no history and no work done have the opportunity to coach the most important teams in the world; this is the real surprise,” said Mourinho.
“When Milan takes [Max] Allegri, when Juventus takes [Luciano] Spalletti or when Roma chooses [Gian Piero] Gasperini, these are never surprises.”
