Jose Mourinho Says He Never Wanted Manchester United Job Before Chelsea Role

Under-fire Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has claimed he never considered coaching Manchester United and replacing Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, with his heart set on rejoining the Stamford Bridge club. 

The Special One told a BBC documentary (h/t Chisanga Malata of the Daily Star) that despite United's status within the world game, he desperately wanted a return to west London to finish the job he started, saying Ferguson was aware of his intentions:

"

Every manager in the world looks at Man United as a huge club but I wanted to come to Chelsea. And we didn't bring that to the table because we were so open and he [Ferguson] 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.

"

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The 52-year-old Portuguese was one of the names bandied around with the Red Devils job after Ferguson's sudden decision to leave at the end of the 2012-13 campaign after winning the Premier League, with Mourinho's time in the Spanish capital coming to an end. 

Mourinho's decision to snub United appeared to be the correct one, taking Chelsea back to the promised land, once again becoming champions of England. However, the Blues have collapsed this term, putting into question the coach's long-term future with the club, with Malata reporting the board have given their backing to Mourinho—at least in the short term. 

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But United director Sir Bobby Charlton has always had a firm stance on his opinion about the maverick manager, saying to ITV4 in 2012 that Mourinho was not a good fit for his football club (h/t Jamie Jackson of the Guardian). When asked about Mourinho's infamous eye-gouging incident against Tito Vilanova when Los Blancos faced Barcelona in El Clasico, the icon said: "A United manager wouldn't do that." 

However, Ferguson has always had huge respect for Mourinho, writing in his 2005 autobiography (h/t Jonathan Wilson of the Guardian): “Jose’s managerial ability became the biggest obstacle to our [Manchester United's] rebuilding,” and that Mourinho is “exceptionally good with players" and "meticulous in his planning.”

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Football blogger Paul Gunning doesn't prescribe to the notion that Mourinho turned the Red Devils down, and says Ferguson was simply playing games with the former Real Madrid coach's emotions:

Mourinho might have been the perfect fit for United as they looked for a gargantuan personality to lead the club forward, but under the stewardship of Charlton and the club's traditionalists, David Moyes was a better fit—but ultimately a bad choice. 

Roman Abramovich's approach to ownership and transfers is much more in keeping with Mourinho's style of team building, but as is evident in the present day, a lack of results will start exit rumours very quickly. 

The Special One is facing the biggest task of his career, keeping a job that once would have been considered the safest in the Premier League. However, just as it was with Mourinho's first tenure, results and form can force a shock sacking.