The former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss is keen to get back to work but is waiting for an interesting challenge to present itself
Jose Mourinho is longing for a return to football management seven months after being sacked by Manchester United, but has stressed that he is waiting for “the right project” to present itself.
The Portuguese, 56, spent two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, winning them the Europa League, but otherwise struggled to transform them back into serious title challengers.
He was dismissed after a bad run of form, while he also attracted criticism from supporters for appearing to alienate several United players during his time at the helm.
Mourinho has been linked with numerous jobs since leaving United, with Benfica, Lyon and most recently Newcastle said to have been interested.
But, after rejecting speculation surrounding the Magpies due to a desire to challenge for honours, the former Real Madrid boss reiterated his plan to only accept the perfect offer.
When asked by Sky Sports if he was hungry to return to management, Mourinho said: “I am, but I will wait for the right club, for the right project.
“And, in the meantime, I am doing things I like to do. I prefer to work, but I like other sports and this is a good opportunity to enjoy [things other than football].”
Clearly enjoying his downtime, Mourinho was pictured at Silverstone watching qualifying for Sunday’s British Grand Prix, where Valtteri Bottas pipped Lewis Hamilton into pole position.
The day before, he had been seen further south at Wimbledon as Roger Federer booked his place in Sunday’s showpiece with a semi-final defeat of eternal rival Rafael Nadal.
Back on the football pitch, the Portuguese has been linked with a first foray into international management, a challenge he has admitted to being keen on.
But with plenty of big clubs under pressure to deliver results early in the new season, Mourinho may prefer to bide his time and wait for one to turn to him in their time of need.
Whether his time as a Premier League manager is up remains to be seen, but with bridges burned at Chelsea and United it is hard to imagine he will be making a return at either club.
This is already his longest spell away from management in over a decade; after his shock exit at the end of his first spell at Chelsea, it was almost nine months before he took over at Inter in the summer of 2008.
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