Sunday 7 August 2016 13:01, UK
Jose Mourinho has challenged his players to win the Premier League title in his first season at Manchester United, insisting he believes in setting "unrealistic targets".
Mourinho, who will hope to lay down a marker when his side take on Leicester in the Community Shield on Sunday, says he wants to create an environment at Old Trafford of expectation, even if the target looks overly ambitious.
The Portugese manager has done that before, winning the Champions League against the odds with Porto and Inter Milan.
And despite United being out of the Premier League title picture in recent years - finishing fifth, fourth and seventh in the last three seasons - Mourinho believes his squad must set its sights at the summit.
"I like to create that expectation and I like the players to feel it," Mourinho, who won the Premier League title in the first season of his first reign at Chelsea, said.
"Sometimes, during my career, I created some unrealistic targets. By doing that, you push the team to unexpected levels - to win the Champions League with Porto and Inter is unexpected.
"Those were very risky objectives and targets.
"To win championships in the first season is a bit of the same, but I like that. People analyse it as arrogance and so on but that's not a problem for me.
"The reality is that I always feel that targets like this can only help players, managers, clubs and this kind of establishment."
