Jose Mourinho showed he had no time for Paul Scholes after 'mouth is out of control' jibe

Managers are no strangers to being targeted by footballers-turned-pundits.

Few choose to retaliate, let alone engage in a full-blown war of words, particularly when managing one of the world's biggest clubs. Enter Jose Mourinho, the Special One, or rather, the Moody One, as he appeared increasingly agitated towards the end of his tenure as Manchester United manager.

Mourinho began his stint at Old Trafford as he had everywhere else, by winning trophies in the form of the EFL Cup and the Europa League in the 2016/17 season. Yet as United's performance waned in the following seasons, his erratic outbursts and conflicts with players began to draw negative attention.

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No one was more critical than Red Devils legend Paul Scholes. Throughout the remainder of Mourinho's tenure, until his sacking in December 2018, the retired midfielder and United boss became embroiled in a very public feud.

Tensions seemed to originate from Scholes' growing dissatisfaction with United's poor results during the 2017/18 season. After a 0-0 draw with Southampton halfway through the campaign, the Englishman criticised £90million signing Paul Pogba, accusing him of "strolling through games".

He also targeted Mourinho, claiming that Pogba was being used in a role he was uncomfortable with and stating that the manager "has to take responsibility for that".

Mourinho didn't take Scholes' comments lightly and hit back during a press conference in January 2018, saying: "I think the only thing Paul Scholes does is criticise. I don't think he comments, he criticises which is different.

"He was a phenomenal player - that doesn't mean we all have to be phenomenal. Pogba tries his best all the time and sometimes he plays very well, sometimes he doesn't play so well. It's not Pogba's fault that he made much more money than Paul Scholes.

"He [Scholes] will go down in history as a phenomenal player. Not as a pundit. I prefer to look at him as a phenomenal player who gave so much to the club I am proud to represent. If Paul one day becomes a manager, I wish he can be 25 per cent as successful as myself. 25 per-cent is around six trophies. He will be quite happy."

United finished second in the league that season, though they were 19 points behind Manchester City's Centurions and ended up without a trophy. Scholes took aim at Mourinho's defensive style after a disappointing pre-season, stating he "hated what he was seeing”.

Speaking told beIN Sports in July 2018: “He doesn't look happy to me. It's a team that grinds out results rather than really impresses you. That's probably what he's happy with. If I was a manager, or if anyone else was the manager of Man United, they would hate what they were seeing. And it would be different.

"The most important thing to him is results. Last year was a disappointing year, not to win a trophy. The way they performed in the league wasn't at the standard required. Every year when Manchester United don't win something, it's a disaster.”

Mourinho and his team endured a challenging start to the 2018/19 season, going on a three-game winless streak in October that ended in a loss at West Ham. Scholes at this point continued with his scathing assessment of the Portuguese manager’s leadership while appearing as a BT Sport pundit.

The former England star fumed: “I'm actually sat here surprised that he survived after Saturday, the performance was that bad. Attitude and performance. It just wasn't anywhere near... he's coming out in press conferences and he's constantly having a go at players. He's having a go at people above him because he's not getting what he wants. I think his mouth is probably out of control and he's embarrassing the club."

When questioned about Scholes’ comments in a press conference, Mourinho interrupted a reporter by saying: "I don't need to know what he said. He says what he wants to say. I'm not interested." Asked whether he thought Scholes had crossed the line, Mourinho replied: "Freedom of speech. Free country. He can say what he wants."

Scholes suddenly seemed to change his stance on Mourinho, then 55, backing him to turn things around just days later after a defeat against Juventus in the Champions League group stages. He stated: "No I wouldn't change him. He has the experience to turn it around. The last couple of weeks he's been different. His attitude has been better towards players."

However, any hope of burying the hatchet was short-lived as Scholes soon resumed his scathing comments, targeting Mourinho's controversial ear-cupping celebration after a 2-1 victory Juventus at the Allianz Stadium, which sparked the fury of opposition defender Leonardo Bonucci.

Scholes commented: "This is everywhere he goes. You need to win with a bit of class sometimes, shake the manager's hand. I don't think there's any need for it but that's the way he is."

Mourinho was finally dismissed on December 18, 2018, having made little progress despite £400m worth of investment in the squad. Months later, an unemployed Mourinho made a thinly-veiled jibe at both Scholes and Gary Neville regarding their brief and unsuccessful managerial stints at Oldham and Valencia, respectively.

“We have even in England, former top players, amazing in front of the screen," Mourinho said in an interview with RT. "They go to football clubs, and after two months, goodbye, let's go home because this is not right for us. So there are things, you have it or you don't have it.”

Scholes returned the favour when Mourinho was in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, claiming that the Portuguese had "dropped down a level". He said: "I think he's done all right but that's the club he's at now. He's not at a club where they are expected to win leagues.”