Hagi backs Mourinho to restore Manchester United glories

Football legend Gheorghe Hagi has backed Jose Mourinho to return Manchester United to their former glories.

United have finished seventh, fourth and fifth since Alex Ferguson bowed out of the game as a Premier League winner in 2013.

Mourinho has guided United to sixth in the league so far this term, despite the high-profile signings of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but the Red Devils have won their last three games to close in on the Champions League places.

And Romanian icon Hagi says the ‘Special One’ remains capable of topping England’s game, despite his woeful title defence with Chelsea last term.

“Mourinho has his secrets. It’s not easy at United,” Hagi told Omnisport. 

“They have suffered for two or three years since [Alex] Ferguson left but I think they’ll do it. 

“They must be patient but they’ll get there, I think Mourinho will get them there.”

A former team-mate of Hagi at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola has also made a big impression on the Premier League this term with Manchester City.

Reeling off six wins in as many games helped City set the pace early on, but they are now seven points adrift of Chelsea, having struggled for consistency.

Hagi added: “It’s a matter of taste, if you like his football or not. Yes, I like Pep’s football – how he thinks, how he analyses the game, how he plays, how he changes his players, his style of play.

“I think someday I will face him, I will play a match against him and we’ll see who’s quicker in the mind.”