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Manchester United boss Mourinho not ready to call time on club career

SoccerNews in General Soccer News 2 Jun 2018

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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho insists he is not close to leaving club football despite long-term aspirations to coach a national team.

The 55-year-old claimed in an interview in 2014 that he would like to spend his final few years in international football, when he decides he needs “a little rest”.

Mourinho, who replaced Louis van Gaal at United in 2016, signed a new contract in January that could keep him at Old Trafford until the end of the 2020-21 season.

The former Chelsea boss appears set on seeing out the majority of that deal, claiming he feels less wearied by club management than he has in recent years, despite question marks over his long-term suitability for the job in the wake of the FA Cup final loss to his former team last month.

Asked if he was close to being “tired” enough to move to the international scene, he told GQ: “No. No! I am not close at all.

“I think being the coach of a club is my job. Because I need to play matches every week and train every day. I would say I am even further away from being tired now than I was a few years ago.”

Mourinho, who is due to work as a pundit for Russian broadcaster RT during the World Cup finals, believes Brazil and Spain are two of the likeliest teams to lift the trophy.

However, he is also confident Portugal can spring another surprise two years on from their Euro 2016 triumph.

“Players like [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo are so good that they can make their teams better than they are on paper,” he said. “So, I think Argentina and Portugal can do well.

“Brazil, because of their manager Tite, can play well tactically and defensively, but they still have that natural Brazilian talent. They will be a team to watch. And of the European teams, Spain looked really strong in qualifying. They have a mix of good experienced players and quality players.

“Portugal did get to the semi-final again in 2006 and we also won the European Championship in 2016, so that means we are among the best teams in the world.

“Portugal is the kind of country where new talent is always coming through and in the current national team I think we have even better players than in the squad two years ago. So, Portugal can do anything.

“Can we be world champions? I don’t dare say that, but on our day we can beat anyone.”

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