Jose Mourinho was the man that many expected to replace Sir Alex Ferguson when the Scot decided to step down as Manchester United manager.
After the decision to appoint David Moyes saw the former Everton manager fail to see out his first season in the job, many questioned why United didn’t approach Mourinho before the Portuguese returned for his second spell at Chelsea.
But it now seems that this was never an option, with Mourinho claiming that Ferguson was well aware that he desired a return to Chelsea and had no interest in becoming his successor at Old Trafford.
“Every manager in the world looks at Man United as a huge club but I wanted to come to Chelsea,” he says during an interview for a new BBC documentary.
“And we didn’t bring that to the table because we were so open and he knows so much about myself that he knew that for almost a season, I want to leave Real Madrid and I want to come to Chelsea.”
Mourinho also explains that Ferguson trusts him, as was shown when he revealed his intention to retire months before the news entered the public domain.
“He told me a huge secret, not many people knew, like, one month or two months before the decision,” he remarked.
“I know that he trusts me, because if he doesn’t, he doesn’t tell me but I was scared – I was scared so when finally he informed the media about this decision it was a sense of relief.”
