Jose Mourinho says he has turned down “three or four offers” since his departure from Manchester United in December but expects to take up a new position soon.
After winning the EFL Cup, FA Community Shield and Europa League in his two-and-a-half seasons at Old Trafford, the Portuguese coach was sacked following United’s poor start to this season and replaced by caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“It’s been two and a half months since I’ve been without coaching and I’m already preparing for my next challenge,” Mourinho told BeIN Sports France. “I know exactly what I don’t want, that is why I’ve turned down three or four offers. I know what I want, not the name of the club, but the type of work and the workload. I want to coach a team starting in June, in time for preseason.”
Mourinho, 56, has been a reported target of former clubs Benfica, Real Madrid and Inter Milan in recent months. He was linked with a return to Madrid after the Spanish giants’ recent dismissal of Santiago Solari but the club brought Zinedine Zidane back instead — a move which Mourinho described as “perfect.”
However, Mourinho insisted he is not picky when it comes to his next challenge but is looking for a winning project.
“It doesn’t matter where I go, I want to go to a place where I can still win,” he said. “What sense does it make to have a philosophy of the game without a winning mentality? My best title will be the one I win next.”
Mourinho said the pressure on coaches is much greater now than the past and claimed that clubs now easily forget past successes in light of poor recent form.
“I really don’t think we are going to see a coach remain at a club for 10 years,” he said. “Now players come and go, the pressure is immense for a coach. You have a good season, then the next one is not as good … There is enormous pressure, a tendency for change. The rules nowadays say that coaches don’t last long [in one place.]
Mourinho also spoke about Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, claiming the 20-year-old World Cup winner would be the most expensive player in the world if he were sold.
“A player like Mbappe … when we talk about the future, we don’t need to say what he is going to be like in five or 10 years’ time,” he said. “We have to look at him today, he is absolutely incredible.
“In the market you have Cristiano [Ronaldo] and [Lionel] Messi, are older than 30 and Neymar is 27 … age matters and I think he [Mbappe] is the most profitable player in the world nowadays, he is the most expensive if we are talking about a potential transfer. The most expensive player in the world.”
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