Mourinho: I Never Doubted Myself

Jose Mourinho has said he was always confident good results would come at Manchester United despite "whispers of criticism" earlier this season.

United's EFL Cup semi-final first-leg victory over Hull City on Tuesday was their ninth consecutive win in all competitions, their best run of form since 2009.

Mourinho suffered a rocky beginning to his Old Trafford career, winning eight of 19 matches between mid-September and early December and drawing at home to Burnley, West Ham and Stoke.

The former Chelsea boss, who has eight top-flight league titles in four countries and has twice won the Champions League, joined United six months after he was sacked at Stamford Bridge.

But Mourinho insisted the way his second spell at Chelsea ended, combined with an inconsistent start at Old Trafford, never prompted him to question his own managerial ability.

"I never doubted," Mourinho told Sky Sports, speaking on Merseyside v Manchester: Countdown (Friday, 6pm, Sky Sports 1 HD).

"Even if my career goes through a period without good results, how many managers have had good results every year? I was a champion less than two years ago.

"I won the biggest domestic competition in the world two years ago, not 20 years ago, so it was not a problem for me.

"I know my quality, I know my motivations, I know my dreams because obviously I have dreams for my career. I am young as a manager. I don’t read much or watch much TV but the whispers arrived and we understood the critics were really strong.

"We kept our stability and we kept our belief in our quality but we needed results. Finally, when we started having, not just good performances, but also three points, we understood that things could really improve.

"The ones [whispers] directed personally towards myself, that is not a big deal for me. The ones in relation to the team, I think the team found a way to feel protected.

"We built very good and strong relations between us and we were really confident and trusting in our work. After disappointing results we repeated the fact we were playing well and heading in the right direction so the good results will arrive.

"When a couple of them arrived, more will come. We were always very confident and together we went through this difficult period."

United have the opportunity to move within two points of Liverpool when they welcome Jurgen Klopp's side to Old Trafford, live on Sky Sports.

The hosts go into the game in better form than prior to the reverse fixture - a goalless draw at Anfield in October - but Mourinho believes United's fine run counts for little in the derby atmosphere.

"In derbies, or Clasicos as we like to call them in Portugal and Spain, there’s no favourites," he added.

"The moment doesn’t really matter a lot, the form, the injuries, the players available, I don’t think it means a lot.

"They are isolated matches, isolated from context, isolated from who is playing better or worse, who is in front in the table and who is behind. I think it is isolated from context so I just look at two big clubs and lots of good players.

"Before I came to Manchester United, to play Liverpool meant to play against a big club, to have the pleasure to play against an historic club, not just in this country but in the world. It was just about that, enjoying that.

"At Manchester United to play against Liverpool has a little plus of an historical rivalry and that means for the fans something more and for us as professionals wearing Man Utd shirts and working for Man Utd. We must catch that feeling.

"Let’s put all of this together. It’s a big opponent, a big rivalry, a big match and I’m looking forward to it."

Credit: Skysports.com