Manchester United’s trip to Fenerbahce on Thursday will be a day of reunions.
The Turkish side boast plenty of familiar faces in their squad, but it’s in the dugout where one of the most recognisable characters in world football will sit. Former United manager Jose Mourinho will take on United for the first time since 2021, looking for revenge against his old employers.
Here are seven Fenerbahce stars Erik ten Hag’s side must be wary of ahead of Thursday’s game.
Since leaving Southampton in 2018, Dusan Tadic has been on an absolute tear. He racked up 105 goals and 112 assists in 241 games for Ajax before taking his talents to Fenerbahce in 2023. Last season yielded 16 goals and 16 assists.
This year, Tadic sits atop both the scoring and assist charts, dazzling from a right-sided role that teams across Europe have thus far failed to cope with.
United are notably weak on the left for now, with both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia not yet fit. Fortunately, in Erik ten Hag, they have the manager who set Tadic off on this rampant run of form six years ago. If anyone should be able to stop the Serbia international, it’s him.
You will likely need no introduction to Edin Dzeko, but perhaps a gentle reminder that he is now thundering in goals for Fenerbahce.
Dzeko, formerly of Manchester City, left Inter on a free transfer in 2023 to head to Istanbul, and he’s started this season with nine goals from 14 games. The 38-year-old might not be the athlete he used to be, but his eye for goal clearly has not disappeared.
He has fond memories of facing United, having netted nine times in 11 meetings with the Red Devils across his time with City, Roma and Wolfsburg.
Like Dzeko, Allan Saint-Maximin is a well-known star who made an under-the-radar switch to Fenerbahce.
The former Newcastle United winger left Europe to join Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli in 2023 but lasted just 12 months before agitating for a return, with Fenerbahce all too keen to extend the opportunity this past summer.
Saint-Maximin’s tricky dribbling and love of flair have so far yielded two goals and three assists this season from the left wing.
One of many reunions coming on Thursday, Fred left United for Fenerbahce in 2023 and has thoroughly enjoyed his time since moving.
With six goals and 11 assists from 45 appearances heading into this encounter, Fred has become the box-to-box threat United always hoped he would be, even if injuries tried to slow him down last season.
Mourinho has thoroughly enjoyed working with the Brazilian, whose scrappy, determined style of play was always going to make him a favourite of the boss.
Partnering Fred at the base of Fenerbahce’s midfield is another familiar face in the form of Sofyan Amrabat.
After an underwhelming loan with United last season, Amrabat inked a deal with Fenerbahce which will become permanent next summer, with Mourinho happy to take a risk on the Morocco international.
Just how Amrabat feels about coming face-to-face with Ten Hag again remains to be seen, but the 28-year-old will likely be relishing the chance to show the Red Devils what they could have had.
Everyone’s favourite goalkeeper at the 2022 World Cup and 2024 European Championship, Dominik Livakovic made the surprising move to Fenerbahce in 2023.
He’s managed 22 clean sheets for the Turkish giants, flashing the immense shot-stopping ability that helps propel Croatia deep into tournaments.
United have a history of coming up against impenetrable, lower-profile goalkeepers – shout-out to Omonia’s Francis Uzoho – and they will hope that Livakovic does not add his name to the list.
There have always been transfer rumours swirling around Mert Mulder, who feels like he always came this close to making the move to the Premier League.
The 25-year-old Turkish right-back is a nice athlete, capable of using both speed and strength to get himself forward and involve himself in attacks, as he did for many years during his time with Sassuolo.
The right-sided combination of Muldur and Tadic has caused real issues for defenders this season, and you can guarantee Mourinho will set the two up to pick at the bones of United’s weakened defence.
