Jose Mourinho: Football is my natural habitat

Daniel Storey

Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is itching to get back into football and says a return is on the horizon.

Mourinho has been out of work after he was sacked at Stamford Bridge for the second time in December following a dire start to their defence of the Barclays Premier League title.

The Portuguese has been heavily linked with the Manchester United job, with reports that communication between the two parties has already begun, despite Louis van Gaal insisting he will not give the job up.

Mourinho, who has also managed Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, has always been sought after and admits he does not like being out of the game.

He has hinted at a job in England after stating his family home will remain in London.

“I stopped when I left Chelsea in 2007, for a few months, and now is the second time I stop in 15 or 16 years, so it is not a drama. But for sure, I will be back soon,” he said in an interview published in the Mail on Sunday.

“At this moment I don’t know where football will take me, because in football you never know. But as a family, our home will be in London.

“I experimented with English, Italian and Spanish football, three of the top football sides in the world (Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid). I always say I need competition – I need competition every week.

“No, I am not enjoying it (not working). I can have my family, I can have my friends, I can have my quiet life, which I also like, and I can have my football. I can have everything together and I don’t need to give up on one of them.

“To be fully happy I need everything, so I go back to football. I think it’s my natural habitat. I have worked since I can remember, and as a manager since 2000.”