Jose Mourinho says hes Michael Essiens white daddy as Manchester United boss lauds ex-Chelsea star

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has paid tribute to Michael Essiens playing career and says he is like the midfielders white daddy.

Essien signed for Mourinhos Chelsea in 2005 and spent nine years at the club before joining AC Milan in 2014.

The Ghana international was a huge hit at Stamford Bridge but consistent knee injuries plagued his career and he only made over 20 league appearances for Chelsea once after the 2007/08 season.

Mourinho signed Essien on loan when he was manager at Real Madrid and the United boss says hes been like a white daddy to the midfielder.

He was not my player, he is my son – I am his white daddy, Mourinho said in an interview with Malaysian television station Astro Supersport.

He was probably the only one who took me to his home, to the real home. To the place he was born, to the street where he played football as a kid.

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He made me fall in love with Ghana, with Accra where he lived, because then I had a better understanding of his mentality.

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Essien was forced to undergo three knee operations at Chelsea but he returned each time.

The midfielder put his body on the line for the club and Mourinho says Essien suffered more than people knew to play for him.

I understand why as a player he was ready for everything, he was ready to die for the fellow players, for the club, for the manager, why he was ready to play like he did for me at Real Madrid with a knee that was not a knee anymore.

It was a destroyed knee but with that personality, that desire and that mentality he suffered, always he suffered, but always with a smile. Michael smiles a lot.

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