Jose Mourinho on plans after Manchester United: I don't want conflict

Posted Wednesday, February 27, 2019 by ESPN

Jose Mourinho has told the Daily Telegraph he could drop down a level when he decides to return to management and said he is not looking to get into conflicts when he takes a new job.

Mourinho, sacked by Manchester United on Dec. 18, discussed his future in the game and hinted he may not take over at a traditional powerhouse, but could look to take over a side with potential.

"A club that is not ready to be a trophy-hunter immediately but with the ambition to be a trophy-hunter," Mourinho said regarding his plans.

"I want to work with people that I love. People I want to work with, that I am happy to work with, with whom I share the same ideas. I don't want to be in a permanent contradiction [conflict] between what I think and the others think.

"It was what I had at Inter. There are clubs like this. Normally, that is a very important part of a successful club."

Mourinho won the treble at Inter Milan in 2010 following a successful spell in charge of Chelsea, ending a 50-year title drought to win the Premier League back-to-back. In a career haul of 25 major honours he also won the Champions League with Porto as well as La Liga with Real Madrid, a further Premier League title on his return to Chelsea as well as the Europa League with Manchester United.

But his spell at Old Trafford ended sourly with disagreements over the club's direction and rows with key players.

Mourinho, who did not go into specifics regarding his time at United, said he requires a harmonious set-up when he does decide on a new club.

"I don't want an internal conflict," he said. "I want internal empathy. And then your conflict is on Sunday on the pitch when you play against somebody who wants to steal your three points. That's the moment of the conflict.

"I want to work in a club that understands there is a structure in place. I don't want to work in a structure of no coincidence [unity] in the thinking. People sometimes say 'this manager doesn't like to work with a football director'; 'this manager doesn't like to work with chief scout'; 'this manager doesn't like to work with an owner'; 'this manager doesn't like to work with president'. During my career I have been working in every possible circumstance. The most successful situations are not because of the structure but because of the empathy in the structure.

"People who work well together. People who share the same kind of ideas. This is the fundamental thing."