Ex-Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has hailed Jose Mourinho, claiming his positive ‘big ego’ stature brought the best out of his players.
Essien, 32, spent eight years under the Portuguese manager during his time in England with the Blues.
And the Ghana international has been singing the praises of the man who brought him from France.
"We had a great group of players with a manager who was always behind us and kept pushing us," Essien told the Guardian
"We had players with big egos and big characters but at the same time they were good men as well. Mourinho has a big ego as well but in a good way. It was easy for him to manage those kind of players. He is still the same man. He's still tough."
Essien currently plays for Greek giants Panathinaikos following spells at AC Milan and Real Madrid.