Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane has praised Jose Mourinho for giving him a “kick up the backside” during the pair’s days together at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Chelsea manager bled the Frenchman through in Madrid during the 2011-12 season, giving him his first team debut against Racing Santader at the age of 18.
However, when Varane’s form dipped in his second year with the Spanish giants, a timely dressing down from Mourinho inspired the defender to turn his form around.
“During my second year at Madrid, Jose Mourinho gave me a kick up the backside,” he told Le Journal du Dimanche.”I wasn’t doing well, I wasn’t managing to do what he wanted me to out on the pitch.
“So he chided me, saying: ‘Why don’t you run in training?’ My first reaction was to mutter, ‘Oh come on…’ But I knew he was right, I had more to give.”
Mourinho, who divided opinion among the media, the fans and in the dressing room during his time in Madrid, was nevertheless praised further by Varane, particularly for his motivational skills.
“Mourinho doesn’t need to give long speeches,” Varane continued.
“He’s direct and to the point. What he said to me was for my own good. Without regular pressure like that, I can tend to rest on my laurels.”
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