Stan Collymore has labelled Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho’s attempts to take credit for the resurgence of Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial as ‘rubbish.’
Both players have experienced sharp upturns in form in recent weeks for the Red Devils, with both previously coming under fire from the Portuguese boss.
Mourinho has now tried to take credit for their recent renaissances, a move which Collymore has slammed and dismissed as totally wrong.
In a column for the Mirror, he said: “Jose Mourinho trying to take credit for Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw’s upturns in form is rubbish if I’m honest.
“Luke Shaw by his own admission might have struggled to walk again never mind play football after he broke his leg and Jose Mourinho didn’t take that into consideration. Week in, week out it wasn’t a case of wanting him to jump hurdles. It was as if he was bullying him. That’s how it came across to me. Likewise with Anthony Martial. Now Mourinho is trying to rewrite history because two players are in decent, recent form.
“But I don’t think Mourinho has anything to do with their recent form. Martial came to the club and was meant to go on and be like Kylian Mbappe and shape the next generation of forwards. He is still miles off that kind of form. Shaw was supposed to be England’s left back for ten years and is just getting back into the frame with the national team. Congratulations to both of them for keeping their heads down and for their professionalism.
“But Mourinho has only ever hampered them. He has never kicked them on to the next level.”
OPINION
This is an interesting take on the situation from Collymore, and one that many will no doubt agree with. Mourinho has been particularly harsh on these two players during his time at Manchester United, and now that both are playing well, the Portuguese is suddenly trying to take credit for that. While some will believe it is the tough love approach from Mourinho which has worked, it is clear that his decision to publicly berate both players has hampered their development. Martial’s talent has been nowhere to be seen over the past season or so, and now that it is finally emerging again it is suddenly all Mourinho’s doing? The same goes for Shaw, who quickly became Mourinho’s scapegoat during a poor run of results last season. Both players are obviously much happier now, but it has taken them far too long for people to claim that this is Mourinho’s doing. Their talent and form would have been showing far earlier than this if it was.