"I would like to return next season," claims Jose Mourinho

What's the story?

According to reports, Jose Mourinho is eager to get back into club management before next season begins. Despite reportedly considering the Portugal job, Mourinho revealed that he has a desire to manage them someday, but not in the immediate future.

In case you didn't know...

Jose Mourinho was sacked by Manchester United in December 2018 after they fell 19 points behind league leaders Liverpool. The team made virtually no progress under Mourinho, despite the fact they spent almost £400m on 11 players.

The 26 points United gathered in their first 17 Premier League matches was their worst tally at that stage of a season since 1990-91. It was clear that Mourinho wasn't fit for the Red Devils job, and by that point, not only the players had turned their backs on him, but the staff too.

However, if we trace back to the mid-2000s, we can start to understand why Mourinho is still so highly regarded; in his very first campaign at Stamford Bridge in the 2004/05 season, Chelsea won the league title for the first time in 50 years, accumulating a record 95 points in the process.

The following season they retained the Premier League title and went on to win the FA Cup and League Cup before Mourinho departed in 2007. He spent time managing Inter Milan and Real Madrid where he won the UEFA Champions League with Inter, and the La Liga title with Madrid, before returning to Chelsea for the 2013/14 campaign.

A season after he rejoined, Mourinho's Chelsea side won the Premier League title for the third time, cementing "the Special One" as one of the best managers to have graced the league since its formation.

Since his departure from United last December, Mourinho has been spending his time as a pundit on TV.

The heart of the matter

The speculation has risen from questions that Mourinho was asked whilst at a coaching forum in Portugal. He had this to say on his potential return to management:

"I'm not suffering because I'm not coaching, I have time to think about other things.

"But honestly, I would like to return next season.

"I decided not to coach until the start of next season and, even then, only to come back with a club and a competition that motivate me."

When asked about the Portugal job, Mourinho said:

"Fernando [Santos] has nothing to worry about, I'm not interested now or in the short term and we're good friends.

"It's something I'd like to do before retiring, but I have a long way to go in my career.

"It won't be now and we'll see if the chance comes or not."

What next?

It isn't known which club Jose Mourinho has in mind next, but a return to the Premier League could be on the cards. In truth, the Portuguese veteran could go virtually anywhere in the world and be welcomed with open arms - a testament to just how highly regarded he is.