Mourinho reveals he signed deal to replace Sir Alex at Man Utd in 2013
Jose Mourinho has revealed he had signed an agreement to take over as Manchester United manager from Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 – only to change his mind after committing to Chelsea.
Mourinho makes the revelation in his new Netflix documentary, explaining that he had agreed to succeed Ferguson after leaving Real Madrid.
“I go to Chelsea in 2013, but in that period there is something nobody knows,” Mourinho said.
“When I left Real Madrid, I signed with Manchester United to go to Manchester United after Sir Alex.
“I was, of course, very flattered, because Manchester United has an incredible appeal.
“When I say Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world, I have to say that Manchester United is very, very close.”
Ferguson also features in the documentary and reveals Mourinho had told him he would take the job before a phone call changed the situation.
“Early evening he phoned me and he was crying,” Ferguson said.
“And he says, ‘Alex, I can’t take it – I’ve given my word to Chelsea, and I’m not going to break my word.’
“The reason he gave to me I could understand, but I was disappointed.”
Mourinho ultimately joined Chelsea for a second spell in 2013, while Ferguson retired at the end of that season and was replaced by David Moyes.
The Portuguese eventually took charge at Old Trafford in 2016, succeeding Louis van Gaal, and won the Europa League, Carabao Cup and Community Shield during his two-and-a-half-year spell.
Leave a Reply