Jose Mourinho should forget Manchester United and tell the FA he wants the England job

The deposed 'Special One' needs a spell away from the coal-face of club football, and revitalising England is the perfect challenge for his ego

Jose Mourinho is pondering his next move Photo: 2015 Getty Images

As Jose Mourinho ponders his next move, a ridiculously highly decorated, out-of-work manager waiting for the right club to approach him, he should instead be making it known to the Football Association that he wants to become the next England manager.


Mourinho is ready to move into international management, even if he does not realise it yet.

There is no guarantee England will be looking for a new manager, but equally it is far from certain the one club job he would like more than any other - Manchester United - will be available either, regardless of how bad things seem to have become under Louis van Gaal.


Mourinho is in no rush and has made it clear, both privately and publically, that he wants to stay in this country. However, he does not need to remain in the Premier League. He could become the new figurehead of English football, if the FA do not renew Roy Hodgson’s contract after the European Championships.

The Portuguese’s pride may whisper things to the contrary in his ear, but Mourinho needs to come out of the club football cauldron. He was badly burnt at Chelsea. International football is the ideal way for him to soothe his wounds and the England job is one of the biggest around. That should satisfy his ego, his love of the spotlight and the constant need to be tested.

Mourinho felt the heat at Stamford Bridge and, for the first time in his career, he melted. Things went wrong, and even he possibly does not fully understand the reasons why. Whatever qualities turned him into the most successful club manager on the planet were impotent to arrest arguably the most spectacular decline ever seen in a title-winning side in this country.

The Eva Carneiro affair was badly mishandled by Jose Mourinho

 The time is right for a new sort of challenge and after losing the plot in such humiliating and bewildering fashion at Stamford Bridge, the 52-year-old needs to consider a new type of role.

For the first time since he became a manager, 16 years ago, Mourinho will benefit from the lack of day-to-day pressure that comes with a club job.


The intermittent contact with his players would be refreshing, after so many years of solving day-to-day problems and soothing the egos of multi-millionaires. It will reinvigorate him, just as it has another highly successful club manager, the Republic of Ireland’s Martin O’Neill, who failed in his last Premier League job at Sunderland,

Should Mourinho bring tournament success to England, which has made serial underachievement its trademark, his status as one of the finest managers to have graced the European game will be assured. As a club manager, he divides opinion, as England’s he could be adored.


Jose Mourinho - a divisive figure Photo: Jordan Mansfield/Getty

If Mourinho still needs persuading, someone should suggest to him that it is what his mentor, Sir Bobby Robson, would have wanted.

Robson nurtured Mourinho, the translator who became a scout, a coach and a must trusted lieutenant. It is not widely known, but Robson would have loved Mourinho to succeed him as Newcastle United manager.

Indeed, he would have done his utmost to persuade the then, not-so-famous Porto boss to take the reins at St James’ Park when he stepped down, if he had not been so unceremoniously dumped just four games into the season by Newcastle in 2004, just months after leading them to three successive top-five finishes.

Mourinho with his old mentor Sir Bobby Robson

Mourinho went on to win the Champions League at Porto that season and the rest is now part of the Special One's glittering history. But if Mourinho searches his soul, he will hear Robson’s voice urging him to follow in his footsteps as England manager.

Mourinho says he loves English football, but the biggest thing he can give the game in this country is a successful national team.

It is something we have lacked, with the odd brief exception, since Robson stood down 26 years ago to return to club management with PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona and, of course, Newcastle.


That should remind his former pupil that a move into international management does not mean the end of his club career. It can be a sabbatical. International management will be a new chapter in his story, but not the final one.

Mourinho may well covet the throne at Manchester United and there is every chance the men in suits at Old Trafford, including Sir Alex Ferguson and chief executive Ed Woodward, are contemplating asking him to replace van Gaal at the end of the season. There will be other clubs thinking the same.

There is no guaranhtee Man Utd will sack Louis van Gaal

But there could be an even more rewarding vacancy on offer to him in July. The FA have, very sensibly given the World Cup debacle two years ago, refused to offer Hodgson a new contract, despite his impressive qualifying campaign.

They want to see how England fare against the best in Europe, rather than just the also-rans, before making a decision.

Mourinho does not need to rush back to work. He can bide his time, safe in the knowledge that his CV will make him irresistible at some point.

Club management, though, is draining - mentally, emotionally and physically. Managing England, or possibly even Portugal, would be too, but it is a different job, with different problems to solve.



It is also less time consuming and would allow him to enjoy more time with his family, who are extremely happy in London.

Mourinho is one of the best managers around, but success as the manager of England would make him one of the greatest of all time.

That should be the most tantalising of challenges to a man who has won everything on offer as a club manager.


3 June, 2013
Triumphant return

After a tumultuous spell at Real Madrid Jose Mourinho is unveiled as Chelsea manager for a second time, signing a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge. In his first press conference he announces that he is now ‘the happy one’.



11 May, 2014
Trophyless first season

Chelsea impress in patches in Mourinho’s first season back in England but finish third in Premier League, four points behind winners Manchester City. Manager sells two-time Chelsea player of the year Juan Mata to Manchester United for £37.1m.

Summer 2014
Key signings
Photo: Chelsea FC

Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas arrive at Chelsea and Thibaut Courtois is brought back from Atletico Madrid loan to take Petr Cech’s place as Mourinho re-shapes his Chelsea team. They begin the season impressively with a vibrant 3-1 win at newly-promoted Burnley.


1 March, 2015
First trophy

Chelsea are knocked out of the FA Cup surprisingly by Bradford City in January, but overcome Spurs at Wembley in the League Cup final to secure Mourinho’s first piece of silverware in second spell, and the club’s first trophy since the 2013 Europa League.



3 May 2015
The title

Chelsea win the Premier League with three games to spare with win against Crystal Palace. Mourinho is named manager of the season, his team having lost only for times. Manager signs a new four-year contract in August to keep him at club until 2019.


8 August 2015
Poor start, Carneiro chaos
Photo: Rex



After a 2-2 draw with Swansea on the opening day Mourinho admonishes doctor Eva Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn for treating Eden Hazard on the pitch as Chelsea hung on for a point in stoppage time. Row rumbles on, even after Carneiro quits club in September.

16 August, 2015
Defeat at title rivals

Chelsea are well beaten by Manchester City in 3-0 away defeat in second game of the Premier League season. Mourinho takes off captain John Terry at half time, the first time he has ever substituted the centre back in 177 games.

29 August, 2015
Home loss to Palace

After an encouraging win at West Brom with new signing Pedro shining, Mourinho succumbs to just his second home league defeat in 100 in charge of Chelsea. Radamel Falcao scores first goal for club to cancel out Crystal Palace opener, but Joel Ward wins it nine minutes from time for the visitors.

12 September, 2015
Seen off by Everton


Third defeat of the season confirms Chelsea’s worst start to a league campaign since 1988. A hat-trick from Steven Naismith secures a 3-1 win for Everton at Goodison Park. At this early stage of the season, Chelsea have already conceded 12 goals, a mark not reached until December in previous year.

29 September, 2015
European failure

The Champions League had provided some respite for Mourinho until the trip to his former club Porto, where Chelsea went down to a 2-1 defeat. Fast-declining Branislav Ivanovic is responsible for Porto’s opening goal. Mourinho concedes that he is going through the worst period of his career.

3 October, 2015
More home woe

Home fans round on Mourinho as his side are brushed aside 3-1 by Southampton at home. In seven minute rant following the game Mourinho claims that referees are “afraid” to award his team penalties, comments for which he will be fined £50,000 by the FA.

5 October, 2015
Dreaded vote of confidence
Photo: Chelsea FC

Chelsea take the unprecedented step of issuing a public vote of confidence in their manager, something that has never happened before during Roman Abramovich’s ownership of the club. Short statement on official Chelsea website says Mourinho still has club’s “full support”.

24 October, 2015
West Hammered

Horrible start to season reaches new low at Upton Park, where Chelsea lose 2-1, Nemanja Matic is sent off, Mourinho is sent to the stands and then papped by Eastenders actor Danny Dyer. Manager refuses to speak to the press afterwards as his future hangs in the balance.

27 October, 2015
League Cup pain

An improved performance in the League Cup fourth round at Stoke does not yield any better results, as Chelsea are sent crashing 5-4 on penalties. Eden Hazard misses the decisive spot-kick.

31 October 2015
Must-win... lost

Chelsea take an early lead in crucial match against Liverpool, but are pegged back in extended first half injury time by Philippe Coutinho. Brazilian adds a second to put Liverpool ahead at Stamford Bridge, and Christian Benteke adds a third to pile further pressure on Mourinho.

7 November, 2015
Stoke! Again!
Photo: Reuters

Mourinho is banished to a hotel room as he serves a one-match stadium ban. He watches (on TV) an improved performance by his team, but once again they fall behind and once again they can't salvage anything from the game.

5 December, 2015
Cherries surprising

Champions lose their fourth league game of the season at Stamford Bridge to Eddie Howe's Bournemouth. Substitute Glenn Murray was on the pitch for just one minute 39 seconds before netting 82nd-minute winner.

14 December, 2015
No let-up at leaders Leicester

Leicester withstand a late Chelsea fightback to go 20 points clear of the champions at the top of the league. Chelsea, averaging less than one point per game, are a point above the relegation zone. Mourinho says he feels his players have "betrayed" his work.


17 December, 2015
Sacked by Chelsea
Photo: PA

Chelsea confirm that Jose Mourinho's second spell at the club has come to an end. Dutch coach Guus Hiddink takes over as caretaker manager until the end of the season.