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18th April 2018
03:19pm BST

"Jose Mourinho was a difficult coach for me and we had a respectful but complicated relationship. When I thought he would give me a chance, I couldn't prove to him that I was in good shape. "I trained, I fought and I prayed a lot, but having not received the confidence of the coach, I realised that I could not work with him. "The joy I had was to receive a message when he left Real Madrid and said that I was one of the most professional players he worked with."https://twitter.com/Football__Tweet/status/986560219474837504 Some Manchester United players can probably relate to Kaka's experience working under Mourinho. Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have struggled to establish themselves under the two-time Champions League winner, while Paul Pogba seems to have developed a complicated relationship with him. While Kaka ultimately wasn't able to fulfil his promise in Madrid, it will be interesting to see how it pans out for some of United's biggest names. There is tremendous pressure on Pogba, a big-money signing who shone at his previous club like Kaka, to deliver on a weekly basis, while the futures of Martial, Rashford and Shaw are the subject of intense speculation. But Kaka's comments shed some light on working under Mourinho. It seems that, having struggled with fitness and form, Kaka was in need of an arm around the shoulder, a mentor to guide him through a difficult period. It parallels somewhat with the current landscape at United, particularly the trials and tribulations of Shaw and Martial, two players who appear to, on the surface at least, require nurturing and guidance. Like Kaka, they haven't received that under Mourinho. While Martial and Shaw, both 22, have time on their side, it's not a stretch to say they are at a critical stage of their development. Some observers claim, however, that Mourinho has hindered their progress by refusing to give them enough opportunities in the starting line-up. That image contrasts sharply to Pep Guardiola, who has been hailed for bringing out the best in young players like Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus. Now that Guardiola's Manchester City have clinched the title, the aim for Mourinho is to depose them. Achieving that aim will be tricky with an atmosphere of discontent. Reports have suggested that United will back Mourinho's planned overhaul of the squad in the summer but it will be especially interesting to see what happens to players like Shaw and Martial, two players of considerable natural talents that, for one reason or another, have failed to shine under Mourinho. Kaka is of the impression that his failure to sparkle in the famous white of Madrid was at least partially down to not gaining the confidence he needed from Mourinho. One of the biggest challenges facing the manager now is not giving up on some of his United squad. While he is expected to bring in new faces in the summer, he should be equally expected to breathe new life into the ones that are already there - something he has struggled to do this season.
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