The Rams’ manager, still close to his former Chelsea boss, believes the Portuguese’s influence shines as brightly as everFrank Lampard remembers watching the press conference in 2004 at which José Mourinho, freshly arrived at Chelsea, announced that he was “a special one”. He says: “I saw it and I liked it. It was something different. British culture is not to walk in and call yourself the special one, I don’t think. That’s the way he was and I admired him for it and actually, if you make those statements, you had better back them up, and he certainly did.”If many people believe Mourinho’s aura has started to fade, Lampard is not one of them. The Portuguese remains, in the eyes of his former midfielder, as special as ever. “When you’re the manager of Manchester United, when you have the CV and the background of José Mourinho – and this is not ancient history, this is fresh history, the Europa League, the FA Cup – then of course you have it,” he says. “In terms of the special one and that, those are just words. In terms of being a great manager, of course he is.” Related: What’s that odd feeling? It’s sympathy for Mourinho amid Pogba’s malaise | Barney Ronay Continue readingreadfullarticle
