Jose Mourinho Discusses Manchester United Fans, Expectations, Targets and More

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has said he is well aware of the expectation placed on him by supporters ahead of his first campaign at Old Trafford.

Per Gemma Thompson of the Red Devils' official website, Mourinho spoke to Adidas Front Row and urged fans to get behind him and the team: "I understand that they expect a lot from me but I also expect a lot from them. There is no chance we will be happy if we are not together and I think the passion [they have] for this club is really amazing."

He also elaborated on the size of the club and his desire to bring happiness back to Old Trafford:

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It’s a new chapter in the club’s life. Always when you change a manager, I feel it is a sad moment but it is a new chapter now. We have brought a few new faces in, we will keep some others but, in the end, it doesn’t matter who the manager is, it doesn’t who the new players are or who is staying or leaving, it’s Man United and Man United is much more than any one of us.

The passion the fans have is for the club and I feel that I am a club man. When I arrived, I wore the [United] shirt immediately and this is the kind of club and the kind of shirt that I am very proud to represent. I am going to do my best to be happy and to make the people happy.

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Further, he outlined his vision for the club going forward:

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I’m not humble when I talk about targets, I’m quite aggressive on that. I want everything and everything is to win matches, play well, score goals, don’t concede goals… everything. I want everything. I know that we are speaking about a hypothetical situation which is very difficult to reach but I want everything.

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Mourinho has made a typically bullish start to life as United boss, making his intentions for success clear.

Sports journalist Jonas Giaever said he will help attract further top talent before the transfer window closes, while football journalist Rafael Hernandez noted his impact on new United signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan is just one of a number of positives he'll bring:

The Special One faces arguably the biggest challenge of his career as he bids to take United back to the summit of the Premier League.

The Red Devils lifted the trophy in Sir Alex Ferguson's final campaign in charge but have struggled significantly in the three years since under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal—not only did they fail to challenge for the title, they also finished outside the top four twice.

After also bringing in Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eric Bailly, the squad is already looking far stronger than it did last season, and there's still plenty of room to improve.

Winning the title next season will be difficult for every team—Chelsea and Manchester City will likely be in contention thanks to the arrivals of Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola, respectively, while the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will probably improve also.

Mourinho seems to have the right attitude to succeed at Old Trafford, and his winning mentality will likely spread to his players also—as tough as it will be, United can't be ruled out.