MANCHESTER: New Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho announced his return to English football on Tuesday by reminding the world that he is a proven winner who will tell his players to forget the past three years of under-achievement and instead target success.

In a news conference at Old Trafford before 25 camera crews from around the world, Mourinho covered a wide range of issues from transfer targets to the need for Wayne Rooney to continue playing as a striker and the departure of Ryan Giggs.

He seemed determined to deflect attention away from himself to “the biggest club in the world”. The 53-year-old, who described himself as “the Special One” and then “the Happy One” during similar media conferences to announce his arrivals at Chelsea in 2004 and 2013, adopted a more serious and less showy approach on Tuesday.

Mourinho also made veiled criticisms of his predecessor as well as his long-time foe, Arsene Wenger, by suggesting he would not settle merely for a top-four finish.

“There are some managers who won the title 10 years ago, some have not won a title ever. The last time I won the title was one year ago. So if I have something to prove, imagine the others.

Improving on last year’s fifth place would not be sufficient, he said, indicating that he intended to return United, who won the last of their 20 league titles in 2013, to their former position of dominance.

“I was never very good at hiding behind words and philosophies. I was never good at that.

“I want everything. I want to win matches, I want to play well. I want to score goals, I don’t want to concede goals. I want everything,” he said.

“For Manchester United fans for so many years success was just routine but the last three years I want to forget. I will never be able to work without success. I feel a bit frustrated that I am not playing Champions League. I do not hide I chase Sir Alex (Ferguson’s) records in the Champions League.” said the Portuguese, referring to the record amount of Champions League games the Scot spent in the dugout which saw him raise the Champions League trophy twice.

Regarding Wayne Rooney, Mourinho suggested the 30-year-old’s future lay up front and not in midfield where his predecessor utilised him in the final three months of last season as well as where England manager Roy Hodgson employed him at the European Championship in France.

“He (Rooney) will never play 50 metres away from the goal. He will be a nine, 10, 9.5, not a six or an eight. You can tell me his pass is amazing but my pass is amazing too without pressure. It’s normal that a player at his age changes.

But there is something that will never change, and that’s the natural appetite to put the ball in the net,” Mourinho insists that he sees Rooney’s future at United as a goalscorer, and not a deep-lying midfielder.

The Portuguese also addressed the sudden departure of Giggs from the club after 29 years, denying that the decision had been down to him. “It’s not my responsibility that Ryan is not in club. The job Ryan wanted was the manager’s job and the club decided that was the job for me.

“Ryan wants to be a manager and made a decision, which was brave and honest. I would never stop him coming back, I would always say yes.” Mourinho bridled at suggestions he did not promote young players, saying he had promoted 49 players from academies, but admitted he intended to sign another big-name player to bring to four the number of close-season signings at United.

“We decided four targets. From these targets, we have three. Until we don’t have the fourth, we are still working hard. Myself and the structure. When we have the fourth, I will breathe.”

United have already signed Eric Bailly and Zlatan Ibrahimovic while Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhityaran is on his way to the club.

They have also been heavily linked with a £100 million ($131.37 million) move for Juventus’ Paul Pogba, but Mourinho did not say if the Frenchman was the fourth target.

United’s first game under Mourinho will be against Borussia Dortmund in the International Champions Cup in Shanghai on July 22. Their Premier League season begins with a trip to Bournemouth on August 13.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2016