Jose Mourinho Says He's 'Too Young' to Retire, Defends Manchester United Record

Jose Mourinho believes he is "too young" to retire from management and has defended his record from his time in charge of Manchester United.

The former Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Porto boss was sacked by the Red Devils in December after steering the Old Trafford outfit to their worst start to a season in the Premier League era.

Questions have been asked about where Mourinho turns to next in his career, and the man himself told beIN Sports that, at 55, he is not ready to walk away from football (h/t Joe Short of the Daily Express).

"I want to coach," he said when asked about the prospect of retirement. "I have been in football for a long time. I will be 56 in a couple of weeks. Too young. It's really too young. I belong to top football. I belong to top-level football, and that is where I am going to be."

Mourinho helped United win two pieces of silverware in his first season in charge—the EFL Cup and the UEFA Europa League—and steered the team to second in the Premier League in the following campaign. However, he was unable to build on that progress.

United wilted in the Premier League in 2018-19, with the tame 3-1 loss at Liverpool in Mourinho's last game epitomising what team had become under his tutelage.

As BT Sport Football highlighted, the ex-United boss has tended to struggle throughout his career in the third season:

When asked about his time in charge of the Old Trafford club, Mourinho said there were things going on away from the pitch that made it difficult:

"If I tell you, for example, that I can see that one of the best jobs of my career was to finish second with Manchester United in the Premier League?

"You say 'this guy is crazy, he won 25 titles and he's saying that second position was one of his best achievements in football.' I keep saying this because people don't know what is going on behind the scenes."

Here's more of what he had to say on his time at United:

Mourinho also spoke about Chelsea's decision to sell Mohamed Salah during his tenure. The Egypt international moved to Fiorentina and then Roma in Serie A before returning to the Premier League with Liverpool and developing into one of the best players in football:

The 55-year-old was also asked about which of the teams he has managed was his best and opted for his treble-winning Inter outfit:

Given his struggles at United, it's difficult to see where Mourinho's next job will be. While he's one of the most successful coaches of this generation, the latter stages of his time at Old Trafford and his second spell at Chelsea have damaged his reputation.

It doesn't appear he's ready to call time on his managerial career yet. Still, while the Portuguese was formerly one of the most coveted coaches in the game, you sense elite clubs would have major reservations about taking him on.