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Jose Mourinho says Manchester United are evolving into trophy-winning side

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jose Mourinho
Image: Jose Mourinho believes Manchester United will achieve success under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Jose Mourinho believe is it only a matter of time before Manchester United start winning trophies again.

Mourinho guided United to their last trophy, the Europa League, in 2017 having also won the League Cup during his tenure at the club.

Since then they have fallen short in all competitions but Mourinho, who left Old Trafford in December 2018 and subsequently became Tottenham heac coach, believes the club is heading in the right direction under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

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"It is a team that is improving year after year," Mourinho told Sky Sports ahead of Tottenham's game at Manchester United on Sunday.

"The younger players are now older, they have more experience now. The players they have bought are players of quality.

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"Many of my players, important players for me in my time at United, they are not any more important.

"They have changed their team. Players that worked with me, some of them are not even now selected or they are on the bench so that is a great evolution in the team.

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"They have this ambition and this responsibility of winning titles which they haven't done for quite a long time. The last one was the Europa League so they have this motivation, this potential and they are a very good side.

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"I think they will [win trophies], sooner or later they will. It's the direction where they are going.

"The younger people are getting older, are getting more experience. Young (Marcus) Rashford is still young but he is not a kid anymore. He is a mature player just to give you an example.

"The big boys like (Nemanja) Matic, they are still there for the team, for the balance of the team, for the emotional balance of the team, so I think it's a club in evolution.

"They want to do it and of course in the Premier League nothing is easy for any one but they have the historical responsibility of doing it."

Jose: Giggs and FAW show they care about Bale

Spurs loanee Gareth Bale in the stands for their match against Newcastle
Image: Gareth Bale watched from the stands as Spurs drew with Newcastle last weekend

Jose Mourinho has praised Wales boss Ryan Giggs and the Football Association of Wales for leaving Gareth Bale out of the squad for the upcoming internationals including a friendly against England at Wembley on October 8.

Bale suffered a knee injury on Wales duty in September and is yet to feature for Tottenham after rejoining his former club on loan from Real Madrid.

Mourinho is hoping Bale may be fit for Tottenham's first match back after the international break against West Ham on October 18 and he says credit must go to Wales for their understanding.

"It shows for me that Giggs and the Welsh FA care about the player, they understand how important this period is for the player," said Mourinho.

"Of course he is their superstar but he comes from such a difficult period but they understood that for Gareth now it's to be back when he is completely ready to be back.

"If we as a club have to wait a week, two weeks, three weeks whatever, we are going to wait and let him work and prepare himself.

"Of course Giggs and the Welsh understood that and I think that is the best decision for the player which will be good for us, Tottenham, and it will be good for them as a national team too."

Jose: I won what was possible at Man Utd

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Jose Mourinho insists he met expectations at Manchester United and won would he could during his spell in charge at Old Trafford.

Speaking ahead of his Old Trafford return with Tottenham on Sunday, live on Sky, Mourinho claims he never had any problems at United and did everything in his power to win trophies at the club.

Mourinho spent two-and-a-half years in the United hotseat, winning the Europa League and League Cup as well as finishing second in the Premier League and losing the 2018 FA Cup final.

He left later that year after things turned sour in his third season, but the fans gave him a warm reception on his first visit back with Spurs last December.

"I expected that, I never had problems in the club," he said of the supporters' reaction. "The fans, they know that I gave everything that I could.

"I won what was possible to win, I didn't win what was not possible to win. I gave everything, I gave my life to the club and my professionalism, like I always do."

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