Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho’s crowning moment in charge of Manchester United was beating Ajax in the 2017 Europa League final – but, as we have come to love and learn the Portuguese’s stubborn nature, he once ignored the advice of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Even the illustrious Ferguson, who won plenty of silverware during his spell in the Old Trafford dugout, made some mistakes – but the Scot had an uncanny knack of identifying players that would go on to be elite world-beaters. But Mourinho didn’t listen.
Appointed in May 2016, Mourinho – widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time – enjoyed a two-and-a-half period with the Premier League juggernauts but was dismissed in December 2018 and replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and Sir Alex Ferguson
When Mourinho Ignored Ferguson’s Transfer Advice
'Sir Alex Ferguson gave me only one bit of advice in two and a half years'
Mourinho’s spell in charge of Manchester United is looked at with a breadth of opinions: some believe he underperformed, some believe that he made the most of the players – and how talented they were in comparison to their rivals – he had at his disposal.
But it turns out that, although Ferguson offered very little in the way of advice, Mourinho snubbed the legendary manager’s transfer advice while he was at Manchester United.
In a clip from Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’ series at Tottenham Hotspur, which was filmed during the 2019/20 campaign, Mourinho complained to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy about Dele Alli, who is now plying his trade for 1907 Como in Italy.
EPL_Most Wasted Potential
“I told Dele very directly that he doesn’t train well, he is not a good trainer," the Portuguese tactician said, per Mail Online, before comparing his training levels to those of Harry Kane. "I am not saying a disaster, but I am not saying Harry Kane. Harry Kane is a very good trainer.”
Mourinho, who is now in charge of Turkish outfit Fenerbahce, also revealed that Ferguson told him to sign now-29-year-old Alli – commonly admired as one of the ‘most talented’ players in Spurs history – because of his blend of mentality and aggression.
Elsewhere, per The Sun, Ferguson waxed lyrical about the midfielder by saying: “I thought Dele Alli was going to be a top player, I must admit. I don’t know what’s happened there.”
After his rise to prominence at MK Dons, Dele became a household name in north London, where he played 269 games for Spurs between 2015 and 2022. Hoping for a career resurgence, he moved to Everton’s Goodison Park in 2022.
Things didn’t exactly work out on the blue half of Merseyside and, after a loan spell in Turkey with Besiktas between the respective summers of 2023 and 2024, he was without a club. Ever since January 2025, he’s been employed by Como.