Soccer

José Mourinho ‘full of fire’ for management return

Former Manchester United and Chelsea manager says he misses football

José Mourinho is at the Women’s World Cup France quarter-final between France and USA last month. Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Tue Jul 30 2019 - 09:23

José Mourinho is keen to return to management but has stressed he is waiting for the right opportunity.

The Portuguese, who was sacked by Manchester United in December, says he is missing football and is “full of fire.”

His focus is on returning to club management, in either the top-flights in England, Spain, Germany, Italy or France.

Mourinho told Sky Sports News: “I have some time to think, to rethink, to analyse and what I feel is exactly that ‘Ze’ (Mourinho’s nickname as a boy) is full of fire.

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“My friends tell me ‘enjoy your time, enjoy your July, enjoy your August, enjoy what you never had’. Honestly, I can’t enjoy. I am not happy enough to enjoy.

“I miss my football, I have the fire.

“The most difficult thing for me is to say ‘no’ to the possibilities I had to work.

“I have to be patient and wait for the right one and the right one is one at the dimension of what I am as a manager.

“I have to be patient and that is the most difficult thing because I had the impulse during this period so many times (to say) ‘yes, I go’. No, I cannot go. I cannot go. I have to wait exactly for the right one.”

Mourinho is learning German but says he is not thinking specifically of going to the Bundesliga, adding: “No club is waiting for me, nobody knocked at my door.”

When asked if it would still have to be one of the ‘big five’ European leagues to attract him, the former Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss said “yes.”

He added: “If you tell me a club in another country, to fight to be champion, to build something special, to bring that club in that country to a different level — maybe, who knows. But my focus is on the biggest ones.”

Mourinho also insists international management is something he may do in the future.

“A national team job for me...one match per month? Lots of office. No pitch. No matches. Wait two years for a European Championship, wait two years for a World Cup....no. Still no,” the 56-year-old said.

“But one day maybe, if not Portugal then another country. Because when I go to the World Cups, the Euros, when I am there in the centre of that event, I have the feeling one day I want to do it.

“Then I think it is not the job for me. But maybe one day — and, if it is Portugal, obviously I would be very proud.”