Mourinho wants the United job
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Mourinho wants the United job: Inter boss snubbed City's millions because he has his heart set on taking over
from Fergie at Old Trafford
Respected: Jose Mourinho greets Sir Alex Ferguson
Jose Mourinho snubbed Manchester City's millions because his dream is to manage Manchester United.
The charismatic former Chelsea boss, now at Inter Milan, rejected discreet overtures from Eastlands some weeks ago. Mourinho says he intends to see out his contract at the San Siro, which ends in 2012, a commitment he repeated in Italy last week.
'At the moment I am and will be Inter manager until 2012, that's when I have signed up until and we are convinced we will reach 2012,' he said in a television interview.
But sources close to the Portuguese have indicated his Inter contract was only part of the reason for cold-shouldering City. They believe Mourinho's ambition is to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson and that, if he bides his time, the Old Trafford job will become conveniently available. Ferguson who will be 68 on Thursday, is showing no sign that he is ready to quit in the immediate future.
But significantly, the Scot will be invited to make recommendations about his successor and has a lot of admiration for Mourinho, the only other manager to win the Premier League in the last five years. Mourinho, 46, finished top in the first two of his three years in charge at Stamford Bridge.
He has made no secret of the fact that he wants to return to manage in the Premier League, saying recently how he much he misses English football, particularly over Christmas.
'Stadiums were full of children and families and there would be a really good atmosphere,' he said. It has been revealed that Roberto Mancini could have missed out on the City job if the recent Middle-East backed takeover of Notts County had gone ahead.
Mancini was the first choice of his former mentor, Sven Goran Eriksson, had the purchase of County by Munto Finance been completed. Eriksson and Mancini talk to each other on a daily basis.
'He would certainly have been approached by Sven had things worked out as planned,' said a source.
'Not only did Mancini's playing career develop and flourish under Sven at Sampdoria but he also gave him his first coaching job at Lazio. Mancini regards Sven as his biggest influence both as a player and a coach.'
Eriksson may also have played a part in Brian Kidd's promotion from the City academy to assistant manager under Mancini. Kidd had a spell on the Swede's staff when he was in charge of England.
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dun think the owners want to appoint Mourinho cos of his combatant style towards the press and fellow managers. Mourinho can make alot of people hate united with the way he manages his team.