MANCHESTER - Jose Mourinho has cleared a space on the walls of Manchester United’s training complex at Carrington and is challenging his players to fill it by making their own history.
Mourinho spotted that the sides of the passageway leading to the canteen at Carrington featured pictures and quotes from key figures from the club’s proud past.
Inspirational statements from the likes of Sir Matt Busby adorn the walls, along with images from successful generations of former players including Duncan Edwards, Denis Law and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Eagle-eyed Mourinho spotted that few members of his existing squad were present among the glittering gallery and immediately instructed that was to change. As a result, images from United’s FA Cup final success under Louis van Gaal last year have appeared on another wall, along with team shots from the Community Shield victory at the start of the season and this year’s League Cup victory, both of which occurred on Mourinho’s watch.
Perhaps most tellingly, two-thirds of the space on the wall remains blank — at Mourinho’s instruction.
The manager, whose Europa League semi-finalists cross Manchester to face City on Thursday night, told his current squad that the blank spot is there to be filled by their own achievements.
A source said: "Jose wants his players to feel like they are part of the fabric of the club. He felt that it was wrong that the recent successes have not been marked and wanted to change that.
"He insisted that he did not appear on any of the pictures, but he asked for group shots from the FA Cup win last year and the League Cup and Community Shield to go up. He also asked for about two-thirds of the wall to be left blank. He wants the players to go out and make history."