Jose Mourinho made an extraordinary defence of his Manchester United record so far on Friday, claiming the club’s lack of ‘football heritage’ has held him back.

In a long 12-minute-and-a-half monologue, read from notes on a piece of paper in front of him, Mourinho doubled down on his comments after Tuesday’s defeat to Sevilla when he claimed Champions League elmination was “nothing new” for the club.

The United manager suggested that he had been relatively successful at Old Trafford so far given what he found when joined the club, despite his United side currently trailing Manchester City by 16 points in the Premier League table.

Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Show all 23 1 /23 Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Manchester United 1 Sevilla 2 How did we rate the players on a drab night at Old Trafford? Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings David de Gea: 7 out of 10 The hero of the first leg was again one of United's better performers, but should a keeper of his quality have done better with Sevilla's second? Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Antonio Valencia: 6 out of 10 Failed to offer any of his usual surging runs down the right. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Eric Bailly: 6 out of 10 Responsible for two excellent interceptions that denied Sevilla the lead long before it eventually came. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Chris Smalling: 6 out of 10 A steady presence for the most part but guilty of concentration lapses in both boxes. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Ashley Young: 6 out of 10 Similar to Valencia, he held firm at the back but did not contribute to United attacks. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Marouane Fellaini: 6 out of 10 Afforded his first start since November, the Belgian struggled to get going - yet still forced United's best effort before his removal on the hour. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Nemanja Matic: 6 out of 10 Left to cover an often open midfield, he struggled to make his usual impact. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Marcus Rashford: 6 out of 10 Unable to follow up his heroics from the weekend; he showed plenty of skill but his finishing was below par. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Jesse Lingard: 5 out of 10 Brought back into the side, he showed a few (far too few) nice touches and almost scored at the start of the second half. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Alexis Sanchez: 5 out of 10 His struggles continued on a night where he offered little to the United cause. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Romelu Lukaku: 6 out of 10 Worked hard but was given little in the way of service. His late goal barely papered over a poor team performance. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Sergio Rico: 7 out of 10 Showed strong hands and made smart saves. Deserved a clean sheet at the end of it. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Gabriel Mercado: 6 out of 10 The right-back competed well, often coming inside to double up on Sanchez. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Simon Kjaer: 7 out of 10 Returning after a back injury, the Danish defender held firm as United attempted to build pressure. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Clement Lenglet: 7 out of 10 The young French defender enjoyed the physical dual with Lukaku. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Sergio Escudero: 7 out of 10 Kept pace with Rashford when the United man attempted to trick his way forward. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Ever Banega: 8 out of 10 Survived an early booking to excel in the centre; demonstrated a great range of passing. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Steven N'Zonzi: 7 out of 10 The former Stoke and Blackburn midfielder was back bossing midfields in England. A strong presence in front of the Sevilla defence. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Pablo Sarabia: 7 out of 10 Found plenty of room throughout, most notably to provide a fine through ball for Ben Yedder's opener. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Franco Vazquez: 7 out of 10 Supported Muriel in attack, and showed willing to drop back to help his midfield when needed. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Joaquin Correa: 7 out of 10 Troubled United with his movement in the final third and laid on Sevilla's second. Getty Manchester United v Sevilla player ratings Luis Muriel: 6 out of 10 A decent outlet for counter attacks, he kept United busy before making way for Ben Yedder. Getty

Mourinho also claimed that his successor would be thankful for him bringing Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic to the club, but failed to mention other signings under his reign such as Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez.

Here is the full transcript of Mourinho’s extraordinary press conference, held ahead Saturday's FA Cup sixth round tie against Brighton and Hove Albion...

Jose Mourinho's pre-Brighton press conference

“Hello, I’m alive. I’m here.”

How good is it to be here and alive?

“I’m always here.”

In better spirits than Tuesday night though?

“Of course I’m better. I’m happy with what I saw in my players after the match, I’m happy that people were sad, that people were frustrated, I’m happy we were on exactly the same page, and happy to see the boys coming back again in my page because we don’t have many days to be sad, we don’t have many days to be, something like, grieve. We don’t have many days for that, so I’m happy the players come back exactly as myself.

Mourinho watched his side crash out of Europe on Tuesday (Getty)

Have you seen a reaction on the training pitch?

“We train very well, always. We don’t need a reaction to train better, the enthusiasm, organisation, every training session with us since day one the players know that.

How important is Brighton now?

“Every match is important, I didn’t know, I was not very objective when I told Sevilla is more important than Liverpool. For some fans the Liverpool game, doesn’t matter which competition it is, can be more important than any other match. I’m pretty sure some of the Manchester United supporters would not change a victory against Liverpool for one vs Sevilla even if the defeat to Sevilla means we end the competition. Every match is different and important.

I’ve spoken to a few supporters, they said they were disappointed with the performance levels. What’s your reaction to that?

“I say to the fans that the fans are the fans and have the right to their opinions and reactions but there is something that I used to call ‘football heritage’. I don’t know if, I try to translate from my Portuguese, which is almost perfect, to my English, which is far from perfect – ‘football heritage’, what a manager inherits.

“It is something like the last time Manchester United won the Champions League, which didn’t happen a lot of times, was in 2008. Since 2011: 2012, out in the group phase, the group was almost the same group we had this season – Benfica, Basel and [Otelul] Galati from Romania. Out in the group phase.

“In 2013, out at Old Trafford in the last 16, I was on the other bench. In 2014, out in the quarter-final. In 2015, no European football. In 2016, comes back to European football, out in the group phase, goes to Europa League and on the second knockout out of the Europa League. In 2017, play Europa League, win Europa League with me and goes back to Champions League. In 2018, win the group phase with 15 points out of a possible 18 and loses at home in the last 16.

United are left with the FA Cup as their only chance of silverware this season (Getty)

“So, in seven years with four different managers, once not qualify for Europe, twice out in the group phase and the best was the quarter-final. This is football heritage.

“If you want to go to the Premier League, the last victory was 2012-13 and in the four consecutive seasons United finish fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. So in the last four years, the best was fourth. This is football heritage. It means that when you start the process you are here, you are there or you are there. It is heritage.

“And if the fans that I will always respect – always respect – if the fans and many of them are the ones you speak with, many of them are the ones I speak with, and I am very lucky. The ones who speak with you are very disappointed and the ones I speak with know what is football heritage, what is a process and when I arrive.

“When I arrived in Real Madrid, do you know how many players had played in the quarter final of the Champions League? Xabi Alonso with Liverpool, Iker Casillas with Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo with Manchester United. All the others not even a quarter-final. That’s football heritage.”

Jose, those stats...

“Those stats are real. I give you a couple more real, in the last seven years the worst position of Manchester City in the Premier League was fourth. In the last seven years Manchester City was champions twice and if you want to say three times, they were second twice. That’s heritage.

“Do you know what is also heritage? Otamendi, Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Silva, Sterling, Aguero. They are investments from the past, not from the last two years.

“Do you know how many of United players that left the club last season? See where they play, how they play, if they play. That’s football heritage. One day when I leave the next Manchester United manager will find here Lukaku, Matic, of course De Gea from many years ago, they will find players with a different mentality, quality, background, with a different status, know-how.

“For some reason you go to the Champions League quarter-final like today and there are four clubs that are always there, always there. Barcelona is always there in the past seven, eight years, Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich and then of course appear now and again, another club like my Inter, like some other clubs like Monaco last season, but the ones that are always there is for some reason.

“The good thing for me and the amazing feeling for me is that I am exactly on the same page as the owners, as Mr [Ed] Woodward [United's executive vice-chairman], Mr [Richard] Arnold [United's group managing director], we are on exactly the same page, we agree on everything, on the investments, that we have what we have, the investments that we are going to do will be season after season, we are exactly on the same page, so life is good. I have an amazing job to do.

Mourinho has defended the job he has done at Old Trafford (Manchester United)

“Yesterday I met a new person we have working in the club in a different area that came from another club and I ask why did you decide to come. The person told me I did a fantastic club in another job and at this club I have a huge job and I come for the challenge.

“Well done, my decision was based on the same thing. I could be in another country with the league in the pocket, I am here and I am going to be here and no way am I going to change my mentality.

“I don’t know if you know the expression but there is a code that I like: “In every wall is a door.” I am not going to run away or disappear or to cry because I heard a few boos, I’m not going to disappear from the tunnel, running immediately, the next match I will be the first to go out. I am not afraid of my responsibilities.

“When I was 20, I was nobody in football, I was somebody’s son, with a lot of pride, and now with 55 I am what I am I did what I did because of work and because of talent and my mentality. So they can be together.