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Jose Mourinho Says He Hopes to Leave Man Utd a 'Much Better Club' for His Eventual Successor

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Jose Mourinho is aiming to leave his eventual successor with a 'much better' Manchester United side than the one he inherited.

Mourinho took the helm at Old Trafford after the sacking of former United boss Louis van Gaal. And in his first season in the hot seat, Mourinho led the Red Devils to two trophies, winning the Europa League and League Cup. However, United struggled in Premier League play, finishing in the sixth position. 

Despite the obstacles faced during his first year as United manager, Mourinho wants to leave Manchester United in a far greater state for the next boss,  as per the BBC's Simon Stone.

"I would like next manager to find a much, much better club [and] team than one I found at every level, " Stone paraphrases Mourinho as saying in an interview.

While Mourinho is certainly capable of making the impact he desires, it is clear that significant progress needs to be made in order to return United to its former glories. And Mourinho, speaking to BBC Sport, believes his side is 'better equipped' to clinch the Premier League title in the 2017/18 campaign.

"This season is going to be more difficult but I think we have better conditions to fight for the Premier League," Mourinho said.

"I think this season we are a little bit better equipped. We are against fantastic teams, against amazing investments.

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"But I believe in our group, in our spirit, in our empathy, in our togetherness. I trust my boys and we are going to try."

As a result of United's success in the Europa League last term, Mourinho and co. are set to compete in the Champions League. Still, Mourinho is approaching Europe's most prestigious competition with caution, recognizing that his club is not one of the favorites to lift the trophy.

"We went to the Europa League as one of the top teams, we go to the Champions League and we are not one of the top teams," Mourinho added.

"We have to be better, much better, for that objective. The base of everything is to find what I call a happy dressing room."

Mourinho and United will host West Ham in their first Premier League match of the new season.

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