Former Manchester United manager José Mourinho is taking over a struggling Tottenham side but he will fancy his chances given the quality squad he has available to him.
The big question is does Mourinho inherit a better suited squad to his management style than what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has?
I have selected a combined XI based on players I think Mourinho would pick, with brief explanations for the most difficult picks below.
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4-2-3-1: David de Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose; Scott McTominay, Eric Dier; Daniel James, Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-min; Harry Kane.
Five United players and six from Spurs.
- Shaw vs Rose is a no brainier when it comes to José. They didn’t have the best of relationships during their time together at Old Trafford, and I have good reason to believe Mourinho doesn’t trust his former left-back.
- There will be shouts for Jan Vertonghen, but we can’t ignore the fact Mourinho wanted Alderweireld (and Maguire) at United.
- I’m going to be bold and say McTominay over Tanguy Ndombele. Mourinho did give the Scotland international a trophy for ‘Manager’s Player of the Year’ in 2018. However, the French midfielder could shine under his new manager.
- Lucas Moura could be a player Mourinho likes, but James has been excellent this season. He’s been consistent which Mourinho would take note of.
