Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho insists that "only a special manager" can fill Sir Alex Ferguson's shoes at Manchester United when the Scot calls it a day.
The Red Devils boss will be 69 years old in December, and there has been speculation concerning who could replace him in the Old Trafford hot-seat after his retirement.
And Mourinho is not surprised that several managers have been linked with the potential job opening at the club. There have been reports that Everton manager David Moyes and Barcelona's Pep Guardiola have both been linked with the position.
However, the Portuguese coach does not envision Ferguson walking away from United in the near future.
"Football without Alex Ferguson? I’m not sure that will happen any day soon," Mourinho told The Mirror.
"The man lives and breathes football and Manchester United is his club.
"His hunger and desire to win the biggest trophies remains so I cannot see the day he considers walking away from football approaching.
"Like Real Madrid, the Manchester United job is special and only a special manager is good enough to take the job on if and when it does become available.
"Of course, jobs like that don’t become available every day so the interest will be vast. Like Madrid, it’s a job everyone will want."
Real were one of the clubs linked with a move for Wayne Rooney after the forward had expressed a desire to leave Old Trafford. But the 25-year-old recently did a u-turn and signed a five-year contract with his employers.
And the former Chelsea boss insists that the outcome was never going to be any different.
He said:"Could I ever see him leaving? Never. He is Manchester United through and through and he is working with one of the best coaches in football. He’s a great player but he belongs to United. I wasn’t surprised to see him stay, I expected it.
"There was no way Alex Ferguson would have considered selling him, not to anyone. If you take the decision to leave a club like United there are not many options open to you. Few clubs come any bigger."
For now, however, Mourinho remains intent on guiding the Bernabeu boys to silverware.
"Madrid is a special club and came to me at special time in my career," he said. "After winning my second Champions League and after my success at Chelsea and Inter, the Real job and the challenge to be successful was very appealing.
"I came to a team that had had no success for two years and faced the challenge of a very special Barcelona team and some of the great clubs in Europe in the Champions League.
"Despite everything and all the success I have enjoyed, my desire to continue winning remains. I love a challenge and this is a huge challenge for me.
"Madrid didn’t win the Champions league for 10 years, the Spanish Cup for 19 years and haven’t won the Championship for three. So there is a great deal of work to be done. I love the pressure and that is immediate at a club like this because failure doesn’t sit comfortably with anyone."
Mourinho also believes that he has about 15 years of management left in him, insisting that retirement is not something he will consider anytime in the near future.
"I still have at least 10 or 15 years left in football management," he said. "Naturally a day will come when my circumstances change and I will want to lead a quieter life.
"But it is not something I will be giving any consideration too for a long time to come."
@mirrorfootball
No comments:
Post a Comment