Jose Mourinho will have his pick of tipples with which to toast the outcome of his side’s FA Cup clash with Yeovil Town on Friday night.
Mourinho is accustomed to being offered fine red wines by opposition managers when he arrives in their offices to shake hands and discuss the game.
Bristol City manager Lee Johnson famously splashed out £450 for a bottle of Barca Velha Red 2004 when Manchester United faced them in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals last month.
And Mourinho’s next trip to the West Country could see him savouring something quite different as Yeovil manager Darren Way intends to provide some options for his counterpart when they enjoy a drink following Friday night’s FA Cup fourth round tie.
Way hopes that the Portuguese will opt for a taste of Somerset for their celebratory drink.
“I’m going to give him both options, so I’ll try and find a nice bottle of wine and somebody’s actually sourcing that, who I trust, Domenico of Tamburino’s (restaurant in Yeovil),” Way said.
“I want to make sure that we can offer him a good Somerset cider of Thatchers.
“He’s coming down to Somerset, so it’s important that he is actually privy to what we drink down here.”
Way has a particularly special reason to look forward to Friday nights’s occasion due to his personal bond with United.
The former midfielder was pleasantly shocked to find out that then-United manager Sir Alex Ferguson sent a team to play in Way’s testimonial game back in 2010 after his career was cut short due to injuries sustained in a car accident.
“Man United have been very supportive towards me throughout my career – and certainly at my lowest point, a big thanks goes to Sir Alex,” Way said.
“They have got a touch of class with the way they deal with people who they can offer their services to.
“Without them I probably wouldn’t be sat here where I am now because they have made my life easier for my family and I appreciate them bringing a team down.”
