Topics: Jose Mourinho, AS Roma, Serie A
Jose Mourinho remarkably told one of his Roma players to leave the club for having an "unprofessional attitude" in one of his most brutal press conferences to date.
The former Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid boss, who has opted for a much calmer approach to the media in recent years, was not in the mood after his side dropped points against Sassuolo on Wednesday.
Tammy Abraham looked like he'd earned all three points for Roma when he scored his first league goal since September.
But in the 85th minute, highly-rated forward Andrea Pinamonti equalised to share the spoils in Modena.
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After the full-time whistle, a furious Mourinho didn't hold back in his assessment of his side's performance.
In fact, the 59-year-old said one unnamed player "betrayed" his teammates with his attitude before telling said player to leave the club in January.
"It was a team that wanted to win against a tough opponent, I am sorry that the efforts of the team were betrayed by the attitude of one unprofessional player," he told DAZN.
"An unprofessional attitude that is not fair to his teammates, that is what disappoints me. A point away from home is still not a negative result and I am happy with the general attitude of my squad."
Mourinho refused to identify the player when asked, but made sure to emphasise how disappointed he was.
"I won’t tell you," he added. "I had 16 players on the field tonight and I liked the attitude of 15 of them. In January, he needs to find himself another club."
So who is the player in question? According to Italian publication Corriere dello Sport, the 'special one' was talking about Dutch full-back Rick Karsdorp.
The 27-year-old, who is under contract until June 2025, replaced Zeki Celik and proceeded to misplace a number of passes.
And it appears the final straw for Mourinho was his decision to 'stop running' before Pinamonti netted Sassuolo's equaliser.
Karsdorp was touted for big things when he joined Roma from Feyenoord in 2017 for €16 million. Now, if reports in Italy are to be believed, he is set to leave in January.
Thoughts on Mourinho's press conference on Wednesday night?
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