Jose Mourinho 'Regrets' Longstanding Feud with Arsene Wenger

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho on Friday admitted he regrets the long-term animosity between himself and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger ahead of their teams' Premier League meeting at Old Trafford on Sunday.

It will be Wenger's final clash against Mourinho as Gunners manager, and the Portuguese conceded there are parts of his dealings with the Arsenal stalwart he would change if he could, per Alex Richards in the Mirror:

"There are little things where it would be obviously better without them. Some gestures, some words, it would be better without it, I feel better now without it, no doubts about it.

"But again, when I arrived in England in 2004, Arsenal were the champions and the famous Invincibles. I arrived and for the next couple of years was with them—Bergkamp, Thierry, Campbell, an amazing team—so again thank you very much for that.

"They pushed us to the limits, the two matches we played, not at the Emirates but at amazing old stadium, were unforgettable. We had big matches, big fights, so thank you so much for that. Regret? Little negative episodes, yes I do and probably he also does."

Mourinho and Wenger have never been on the best of terms. Back in February 2014, while in his second spell as Chelsea boss, Mourinho labelled the Frenchman a "specialist in failure," per BBC Sport.

The pair then tussled on the touchline during a Premier League fixture at Stamford Bridge later that year.

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Mourinho, 55, has the upper hand in the head-to-head battle between the managers, having prevailed in nine of their 18 meetings. Wenger, meanwhile, has just two wins.

He has also won the Premier League title three times since Arsenal's last win under Wenger in 2003/04, not to mention two Serie A titles, La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League, among other trophies.

However, Mourinho said upon the announcement that Wenger, 68, would leave Arsenal after more than two decades at the club that his long-term foe deserves huge respect, per Michael Kelleher of Sky Sports.

Sunday's clash may not be the last time Mourinho and Wenger face off in opposite dugouts, but it is likely to be their final Premier League meeting.

Only Sir Alex Ferguson has more Premier League titles to his name than Wenger and Mourinho's three apiece, and the Portuguese seems keen to bury the hatchet with the Arsenal boss before he bows out of the English game.