Mourinho: Ending career at United is mission impossible

Manager coy over deal as he rejects PSG claims Rojo joins travelling party to face Benfica

Jose Mourinho has insisted he has no plans to leave Manchester United, but admitted there had been no talks over a new contract.

The United manager also sidestepped questions about his longterm future at Old Trafford and claimed it would be “mission impossible” to see out his career at the club ahead of their Champions League tie against Benfica in his native Portugal this evening.

Mourinho flirted publicly with Paris St-germain in an interview in France at the weekend, around the same time reports emerged that he could walk out of United amid claims he was becoming frustrated with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward’s handling of the club.

The Daily Telegraph reported in September that Mourinho was expected to be approached over extending his contract next month, the mid-point of his existing deal, which would explain why there have been no talks yet. There is also an option to extend the contract by a further 12 months to June 2020.

Some fans will wonder whether the timing and nature of Mourinho’s interview with Telefoot, as well as his reported discontent with Woodward, are merely an attempt to strengthen his hand when it comes to contract negotiations.

But the only clarity Mourinho could offer yesterday when pressed was his insistence he would manage elsewhere after United because the days of a person staying at the club for decades were over.

“The only thing that I said, and is true, is I am not going to end my career at Manchester United,” Mourinho said. “I ask how is it possible in modern football that any manager is going to last 15 or 20 years in the same club? I think [Arsene] Wenger is the last one to do that. It’s an impossible mission.

“After that, some people try to be clever, malicious. But the reality is simple – I didn’t sign a new contract, but I am not thinking about leaving, too.” When asked about the option of extending his contract, Mourinho added: “The answer … is that nothing is happening, I’m not signing a new five-year contract, and I am not leaving for PSG. The future in football is tomorrow.

Of more immediate concern is the game against a struggling Benfica, in which victory would leave United in pole position to qualify early. Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick are all unavailable, but Luke Shaw travelled to Lisbon and is available.

Marcos Rojo was also a surprise inclusion, although will not play for another fortnight after six months out with a knee injury. This will be United’s first run-out since Mourinho attracted criticism for his defensive approach during the goalless draw against Liverpool. A withering look crossed Mourinho’s face when asked if the criticism was fair, before he said: “I have just one comment – that’s none.”

Mourinho was forthcoming on the subject of Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren’s claims his head had been deliberately stamped on by United striker Romelu Lukaku.

“There is a contradiction there because he [Lovren] says, ‘Let’s move on and forget what happened’ but then spends 10 minutes speaking about what he thinks happened, so for me, they are words without any meaning,” Mourinho said. Benfica

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