Manchester United defender Antonio Valencia admits that Jose Mourinho has given him the freedom to enjoy his football.
A winger by trade, the Ecuadorian has been largely deployed in a right-back role by Mourinho since the Portuguese joined Manchester United in the summer of 2016.
And Valencia has excelled in that role and is one of the first names on the teamsheet for Manchester United, which has turned him into one of the most important players for Mourinho.
One of the key senior figures inside the Manchester United dressing room, Valencia admits he is thankful towards Mourinho for showing faith in him since his arrival last year.
With more than 300 appearances under his belt for Manchester United, the defender conceded that under Mourinho he has enjoyed the freedom that he needed to enjoy his football.
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Valencia told United Review, the club’s official matchday programme: “Yes, the season he arrived here, he showed a lot of faith in me from the start.
"You could even say that he gave me the freedom to play and enjoy my football, and to have an open line of communication with him.
"It’s been like that for the year and a half that we’ve been working together.
“I’d like to thank him for all his kind words during that period.”
Valencia has skippered Manchester United in all Premier League games this season thus far and expected to lead the side out against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
