Mourinho to reunite with ex-Inter coach as he hunts replacements for assistant Rui Faria

Bengaluru, May 21: Jose Mourinho has lined up former Inter Milan coach and current Sampdoria fitness coach Stefano Rapetti as he goes about rejigging his backroom staff following the departure of his long-time assistant coach Rui Faria.

Mourinho is set to lose one of his long-term colleagues as Faria has decided to part ways from the Portuguese manager. Faria has been with Mourinho since the beginning of Mourinho's career and the pair have been managing sides for almost 17 years.

But Faria now has chosen to part ways to concentrate on his own coaching career, which will now leave Mourinho without an assistant for the next season.

JOSE BACKROOM STAFF:
Stefano Rapetti, Michael Carrick & Kieran McKenna will join Jose's new look backroom staff.

They join the current backroom team of Silvino Louro, Ricardo Formosinho, Emilio Alvarez, Carlos Lalin, Giovanni Cerra & John Murtough

— Manchester United 🐝 (@NewManUtdNews) May 19, 2018

There has been speculation that retiring Michael Carrick will join Mourinho's backroom staff next season. However, Mourinho suggested that he won't appoint a new assistant of his own at the moment but will rather make some additions to the coaching team.

Regarding the addition in the coaching set-up, Mourinho suggested last week he does not like trained coaches and will only appoint those he knows and has worked with before to the setup.

Mourinho said: "No. It's a person coming who worked with me before but I can't say the name because he's still linked to another club.

"Michael Carrick becomes a coach on the pitch but I'm looking for two new people on the team. Good coaches there are many, but I like to make my assistants.

Mourinho knows how to pick them , check out his new right hand man ; Stefano Rapetti pic.twitter.com/hIPNLm9Muu

— nii amaa ollennu (@niiollennu14) May 19, 2018

"I do not like trained coaches, I like to shape them in my way of thinking and they grow with me and I also grow with them."

But now, some media reports have suggested that Mourinho is not looking to sign just one name. Rather, he is open to adding at least two new faces to his team.

According to reports, the first name will be Italian fitness coach Stefano Rapetti and later, apart from Rapetti, Mourinho will also add United U-18s coach Kieran McKenna to his first team set-up. Retired Michael Carrick will also join him in the dugout as the third assistant coach.

Rapetti earlier worked under Mourinho during the latter's Inter Milan days between 2008 and 2010, where the Portuguese won three Scudettos and the Champions League.

The Italian coach used to work in Inter with the U-19 set-up but Mourinho promoted him as his senior team's fitness coach. The 41-year-old now works as the senior fitness coach in Sampdoria and will next join Old Trafford at the end of the season.