Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has admitted he used to hate facing Chelsea during Jose Mourinho’s first stint at Stamford Bridge.. Mourinho arrived at the London club in 2004 to much excitement having won the Champions League with Porto the season prior. In his first press conference, the former United manager declared himself to be the ‘Special One’ – a nickname which has stuck with him throughout his career.. Before leaving in 2007, the Portuguese head coach won the Premier League twice and was named the World’s Best Coach in 2004. Eventually, the Reds managed to end Chelsea’s spell of dominance in the 2006/07 season but in a recent interview with TNT Sports Rooney admitted those first two seasons of Mourinho’s tenure were horrible for him.. READ MORE: Rooney’s son scores hat-trick and two assists for United’s youth team. READ MORE: Rooney’s Champions League prediction. “The only team really which I could never win against for a few years was Chelsea,” he explained. “I used to hate going to Stamford Bridge, and it was when Mourinho was there the first time.. “They were horrible to play against and were solid and organised. I always remember thinking: ‘I don’t know how anyone is going to stop them?’. “Then obviously we did, but it was always a tough game against them.” Mourinho made the surprise decision to join United in 2016 where he led them to Europa League and League Cup glory and declared after his departure in 2018 that leading the Reds to second in the Premier League was his greatest accomplishment.. Mourinho is currently out of work after being sacked by AS Roma in January.
