Jose Mourinho: Ending my career at Manchester United is 'mission impossible'

Jose Mourinho has insisted he has no plans to leave Manchester United but admitted there had been no talks over a new contract.

The United manager also sidestepped questions about his long-term future at Old Trafford and claimed it would be “mission impossible” to see out his career at the club ahead of their Champions League tie against Benfica in his ­native Portugal on Wednesday evening.

Mourinho flirted publicly with Paris St-Germain in an interview in France at the weekend, around the same time reports emerged that he could walk out of United amid claims he was frustrated with ­executive vice-chairman Ed ­Woodward’s handling of the club.

The Daily Telegraph reported in September Mourinho was expected to be approached over extending his contract next month, the mid-point of his existing deal, which would explain why there have been no talks yet. There is also the option in the contract to extend by a ­further 12 months to June 2020.

Some fans will wonder whether the timing and nature of Mourinho’s interview with Telefoot, in which he admitted his son had recently chosen to watch PSG over United because it was a club that has a “magic about the place, youth and quality” and “something special right now”, as well as his reported discontent with Woodward, are merely an attempt to strengthen his hand when it comes to contract negotiations.

But the only clarity Mourinho was prepared to offer over his future on Tuesday when pressed was his insistence he would manage elsewhere after United because the days of a person staying at the club for decades were over.

“The only thing that I said, and is true, and there was not misinterpretation of my words, is I am not going to end my career at Manchester United,” Mourinho said. “I ask how is it possible in modern football that any manager is going to last 15 or 20 years in the same club? I think [Arsene] Wenger [at Arsenal] is the last one to do that.

“I think it is impossible for us, with everything that surrounds the job, with all the pressure that surrounds every job, to last for so long.

“If in this moment I want to finish my career in two, three, four or five years, I would say, ‘Yes, my ambition is to end my career at Man United’. I think I’m going to be here 15 more years minimum in football [management]. I think it’s impossible to stay 17 years in the same club, it’s an impossible mission.

“So, I don’t think I’m going to end my career at Manchester United. After that, some people try to be clever, malicious, and they say many different things. But the reality is simple – didn’t sign a new contract, but I am not thinking about leaving too.”

When asked about the option of extending his contract, though, Mourinho was evasive.

“I don’t think there is an answer for that,” he said. “I’m not in conditions to answer that because I don’t think there is anything to answer. I have a contract and that’s it.

“I have my contract that ends in May, June 2019? We are in October 2017, so I don’t know what to say and I think you don’t know what to say, too, because one day you say I am going to sign a five-year contract and the next day you say I’m leaving and going to Paris St-Germain.

“The answer … is that nothing is happening, I’m not signing a new five-year contract, and I am not leaving for Paris St-Germain. The future in football is tomorrow.”

Of much more immediate concern to Mourinho is the game against a struggling Benfica, when victory would give United nine points from nine and leave them in pole position to qualify early. Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick are all unavailable due to injury but Luke Shaw travelled to Lisbon on Monday, with United flying out a day early so Mourinho could see family, and is available for selection. Another defender, Marcos Rojo, was also a surprise inclusion in the travelling party, although Mourinho said he will not be able to play for another fortnight after six months out with a cruciate knee ligament injury.

This will be United’s first run out since Mourinho attracted widespread criticism for his defensive approach during the goalless draw against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday. A withering look crossed Mourinho’s face when asked if the criticism was fair before he shut down any discussion of the matter. “I have just one comment – that’s none,” he said. “Actually, no comment.”

Mourinho was forthcoming on the subject of Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren’s claims that he had been deliberately stamped on the head by United striker Romelu Lukaku.

“You know, I read something but there is a big contradiction there because he [Lovren] says, ‘Let’s move on and forget what happened’ but then he spends 10 minutes speaking about what he thinks happened and didn’t happen, so for me, they are words without any meaning and the FA committee is there to analyse and make decisions. I have no comments,” Mourinho said.

Benfica have won just two of their past seven matches and were thrashed 5-0 by Basel in their last Champions League outing after an opening 2-1 defeat at home to CSKA Moscow, but Ashley Young is convinced they will raise their game for the visit of United.

“Obviously they haven’t got off to such a good start in the Champions League but when United turn up, it’s going to be a different story,” Young said.