Aitor Karanka has insisted that Jose Mourinho did not ‘divide’ Real Madrid during his time as Coach.
The Portuguese tactician left Santiago Bernabeu in 2013 after a less than acrimonious split with the club.
‘The Special One’ was accused of falling out with several players, and picking on high-profile targets like Iker Casillas.
But his assistant at the time has claimed that Mourinho tried his best.
“No, I don't think Mourinho divided Madrid,” he told Marca.
“What he did was try to do the best thing at any given time.
“Everyone talks, for example, about the thing with Iker Casillas. Dropping him wasn't a decision that was taken overnight.
“We took our time and decided that it was the best thing for the team at that moment.
“I felt mistreated by the Press during my time at Madrid. I'd been a footballer for 15 years and I'd been criticised, I'd been praised. However, a lot of the time with Madrid they weren't criticisms, but a lack of respect.”
Karanka was then asked if he felt betrayed by some members of the squad, who were thought to have turned their back on Mourinho.
“I've been a player and you often realise that you have a longer contract than the manager, that you're going to stay, and you can change your mind.
“But there were also a lot less players than people might think who kicked off.
“You can see it whenever Mourinho plays against a player who we had at Real Madrid. Some people talked about Ozil being against him but, when Ozil played against him, he gave him his shirt.
“The majority of players speak well of Jose in interviews. Some claimed it was almost as if we couldn't go into the dressing room. Another of the many lies.”
