By Sean Walsh
Jose Mourinho has singled out Scott McTominay as one of the players he most enjoyed coaching during his time at Manchester United, hailing the midfielder as 'my boy'.
Mourinho managed United from the summer of 2016 through to December 2018 before being sacked, winning three trophies in his first season and finishing runners-up to centurions Manchester City in the Premier League in his second.
Along the way, Mourinho oversaw the integration of McTominay into the first team, handing him his professional debut in May 2017 as a 20-year-old. Ever since leaving United, the Portuguese coach has continually singled out McTominay as one of the success stories of his career in terms of youth development.
In a wide-ranging interview with Rio Ferdinand on the FIVE podcast, Mourinho was asked about the players in his career he loved coaching the most.
90min Man Utd WhatsApp channel
Looking to keep up to date with everything happening at Old Trafford? Click this link or scan the QR code below to follow 90min's Man Utd WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to receive all the latest news!
"The players that I most enjoyed [coaching] were the ones that gave me everything," he replied. "And there are dozens and dozens and dozens, and maybe they aren’t the most talented ones, just the ones that gave everything.
"The ones that I felt they couldn’t give anything more than what they gave, these are my players.
"Then if you want to, kind of, preferred... I don't want to be unfair to people and I will be unfair but when you play a kid, the kid becomes your kid for life. That is always my feeling.
"So I look to Raphael Varane [at Real Madrid] now at the end of his career, he is my kid.
"When I look to Scott McTominay, [Paul] Pogba on the bench, play Scott McTominay in Champions League against Sevilla, he is my boy.
"When I go club to club, I find my boys and they are always going to be my boys."
McTominay made two appearances for United towards the end of Mourinho's debut 2016/17 season before playing 23 times the following campaign. The Scot has gone on to feature in 237 senior games for the Red Devils.
Varane, who was also mentioned by Mourinho alongside McTominay, was signed by Real Madrid from Lens as an 18-year-old. Despite his youth, he would find a way to announce himself as one of the world's leading centre-backs, forming fine partnerships with Sergio Ramos and Pepe.
McTominay and Varane have been teammates at United since 2021 when the Frenchman swapped the Santiago Bernabeu for Old Trafford.
READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
This article was originally published on 90min.com as Jose Mourinho reveals the Man Utd player he loved coaching.
