Sacking of Mourinho before Cup final ‘crazy’, says Rooney

England skipper Wayne Rooney

Tottenham Hotspur’s decision to sack manager Jose Mourinho just days before their League Cup final against Manchester City is “crazy”, former England skipper Wayne Rooney said. Rooney, who played under Mourinho when the Portuguese was in charge at Manchester United, said Spurs should have waited until after Sunday’s final to pull the plug on the 58-year-old’s tenure. Spurs have endured a dismal run of form this season and fans are disgruntled by the team’s style of play under the former Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino in late 2019. “I think it’s crazy doing it before a Cup final,” Derby County manager Rooney told reporters. “It’s strange timing anyway. Surely they could have waited until after the Cup final if that’s the direction they wanted to go in. Mourinho is a manager who loves winning trophies, that’s quite clear to see. He’s won a lot of trophies throughout his career... I’m sure (Spurs chairman) Daniel Levy could have waited until the day after the game. If there was one manager to set up a team to play against City in a Cup final it’s Mourinho. Tottenham haven’t had the best of seasons, so from that point of view it’s crazy and a massive risk.” Mourinho said there was no need for a break from the game. “I’m always in football,” he added. Mourinho sacking makes Spurs game tougher: Southampton’s manager Meanwhile, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuettl said Mourinho’s sacking makes it much harder for his side to prepare for today’s Premier League game against Spurs. “It changes everything,” Hasenhuettl said. “Everything you normally tell your players, what they have to expect, from one day to the next, is not there anymore. We don’t have a long time to prepare for the game, and it makes it even more difficult now. It’s even more difficult because at the weekend they have a big final, but we have to handle it and concentrate on us.” Hasenhuettl said there was no doubts about Mourinho’s standing as a manager but added that Spurs had underachieved under him. “He is maybe the most successful manager at the moment,” he said. “He has had such a big impact but hadn’t had a very good year with Tottenham, they are below what they try to achieve. They had a good start and then... dropped back. These are normal in football. When you’re not successful you’re under pressure as a manager and there’s the moment when the club decides to sack you.”Spurs appoint Mason as interim head coach Tottenham confirmed yesterday that former midfielder Ryan Mason would be in caretaker charge until the end of the season following the sacking of Mourinho. Former Spurs and Hull player Mason, who was forced to retire from playing in 2018, steps up from his role as head of player development at the club. Chris Powell and Nigel Gibbs will help him, while Ledley King stays on as a first-team coach and former goalkeeper Michel Vorm returns to the club as a goalkeeping coach.