Jose Mourinho falls out with people. Over the course of his highly successful managerial career, the Portuguese boss has clearly gotten into squabbles with other coaches, players – both on his own teams and opposing ones – as well as numerous authority figures around Europe. The list of men he has stirred controversy with is seemingly endless, causing friction either to fire up his side or deflect attention and he is unafraid to make controversial statements in order to achieve his goals.
Referee Anders Frisk was accused of meeting with the then-Barcelona Coach Frank Rijkaard back in 2005, while he has labelled Arsene Wenger both “a voyeur” and a “specialist in failure.” Mourinho slammed Claudio Ranieri for being 70 years old and said “he hasn’t won anything” back in 2008 when the Italian Coach was merely 55. He was seen gouging the eye of Tito Vilanova during an on-field scuffle after a match three years later, while the Manchester United boss has spent much of the past month engaged in a petty spat with Chelsea’s Antonio Conte.
Yet perhaps those who suffer most from Mourinho’s approach are his own players, many finding themselves marginalised for seemingly no reason and never earning a chance to redeem themselves. Often, like the cases of David Suazo, Mario Balotelli or Riccardo Quaresma at Inter, the Setubal native was right to take that approach, but there are plenty of others who have not deserved their harsh fates.
Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Juan Mata were all forced out of Chelsea by Mourinho and each has shone away from his dominating personality, while Sergio Ramos, David Luiz and Eden Hazard all enjoyed the last laugh after their run-ins with the 54-year-old. All of which brings us to Matteo Darmian, a player who – unlike many of those mentioned previously – has not been publicly lambasted by the Coach, yet currently finds himself on the outside looking in at Old Trafford.
The Italy international has made just two Premier League starts this term, reduced to a reserve role as Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and even a resurgent Luke Shaw moved ahead of him in the pecking order. As if to prove that his benching was undeserved, his last appearance in the starting XI came against Liverpool in October, part of a United team that kept a clean sheet at Anfield against Jurgen Klopp’s previously frfree-scoringide.
In that clash, Darmian – who featured at left-back – registered a game high six tackles along with two interceptions and five clearances while blocking one shot. Yet he has since been left out by Mourinho, with the Calciomercato website believing that conditions for an exit this month have already been set. According to their report, United will be looking to sell him outright rather than allowing him to move on loan, while they would also prefer to secure a replacement before agreeing to any deal.
The man himself has insisted that there was no issue with his Coach, speaking professionally and calmly even after being omitted from the League Cup Final against Southampton last February. “Even when I don't play I’ve always tried to work with the most effort and tried to take advantage of the opportunities the manager gave me,” Darmian told La Gazzetta dello Sport back in May. "My relationship with Mourinho has always been good and continues to be.”
Much like the other big names who fell foul of the Portuguese boss’ approach, there seems to be no shortage of suitors for the versatile 28-year-old. Inter, Roma, Napoli, Milan, Valencia and Juventus have been discussed as potential destinations, and whoever snaps up the former Torino man will unquestionably be making a smart acquisition.
Darmian has shown in both his rare United outings and his performances for the Italian national team that he remains an excellent player, one capable of shoring up a defence while contributing to the attack whenever possible. According to WhoScored.com, he averaged 2.3 tackles, 2.2 interceptions and 3.9 clearances last term, while linking well with his team-mates and providing accurate crosses whenever he got forward.
Should he be sold this month, Darmian will hope to find far more playing time at his new club, with his ability to thrive in either full-back role or even as a central defender in a three-man unit making him a valuable asset and a widely coveted player. Jose Mourinho might disagree, but it wouldn’t be the first time and it certainly won’t be the last.
