José Mourinho claims he knows the identities of the Middlesbrough players who he thinks stabbed his friend Aitor Karanka in the back. Mourinho takes his Manchester United squad to Middlesbrough on Sunday with an extra incentive to win following the sacking of Karanka, who was the Portuguese’s assistant for three years when he was in charge of Real Madrid. Middlesbrough sacked Karanka yesterday after a ten-match winless run left them in the relegation zone, three points from safety. Mourinho launched a staunch defence of his friend and former colleague Angel Martinez/Getty ImagesIt is understood that Karanka, with whom Mourinho is still close, clashed with a number of Middlesbrough players, including Stewart Downing and Patrick Bamford. Mourinho would not name names, but it is clear that he feels that the Middlesbrough players pushed Karanka out of the club.

Source: The Times March 17, 2017 12:01 UTC