Mourinho: I did not want to be United’s ‘special one’

JOSE Mourinho insists there was never any chance he would try to succeed Alex Ferguson at Manchester United even though he knew the legendary boss was set to retire months before the rest of the world.

Mourinho had long been linked with a potential move to Old Trafford. Many pundits felt he would be United’s number one choice when it was revealed that Ferguson was going to step down at the end of the season.

Although the “Special One” said Ferguson told him several months ago he was planning to quit, even that bombshell apparently didn’t persuade the Portuguese coach to make a play for the United job.

It has been suggested that United’s decision to hire David Moyes instead of attempting to lure Mourinho from Real Madrid was prompted by concern over the former Inter Milan manager’s volatile temperament.

But Mourinho is adamant he was always determined to rejoin Chelsea if he ever came back to the Premier League. That dream has now come to fruition after he was unveiled for his second spell as Blues boss last week.

“I knew Ferguson was retiring months ago. And I’m so happy with this trust because it’s big news for the world,” Mourinho said.

“I can imagine just a close circle around him knew and it was a big responsibility for me to know. Why do I know that? Because we are friends. I am Sir Alex’s friend to know he is going to retire, he is also my friend to know the club I want to coach in England is Chelsea. I told him I would turn down everyone in the world for Chelsea.

“If Chelsea doesn’t want me, I’m a professional, I have to follow my life, I have to be happy in another place. But when I want to leave Real, I want to come to England, and Chelsea is waiting, so of course it is emotional because it is the only decision I can make.”

Now Mourinho is back at Stamford Bridge six years after his sacking by Blues owner Roman Abramovich. He sometimes had a fractious relationship with Abramovich, but he is keen to talk positively of his dealings with the demanding Russian billionaire.

Even the decision to sign Andriy Shevchenko for £30-million (about R469-m), which proved to be a disastrous move and was seen as a sign of Abramovich meddling in team affairs, is now seen in a positive light by Mourinho.

“Do you want to know the truth? We wanted Samuel Eto’o and the boss did everything to bring him. In the end, Barcelona said ‘we don’t sell’. So then we looked at Shevchenko. I was happy with Shevchenko. Even with the top dogs you buy for millions, sometimes it doesn’t work. It doesn’t mean you or the club made a mistake.”

Mourinho had many supporters amongst the players during his first spell at Chelsea, but that won’t stop him laying down the law to his squad during pre-season training.

“If you’re a professional, if you are not a selfish person, if you put the club in front of yourself and if you are here to work 100%, we will have a wonderful relationship,” he said.

“If you don’t care about the club, don’t care about the fans, don’t care about the image, we are in big trouble. Sometimes you a couple of guys who are not so keen to accept these kind of rules and this is where you have some problematic relationships.” — Sapa-AFP