Jose Mourinho wanted England job before he joined Inter Milan
After former Liverpool player Danny Murphy revealed Jose Mourinho’s disappointment on not being offered the Liverpool job, it has come to light that, Mourinho was interested in the England job, before taking up his role with Inter Milan, according to British newspaper Mirror.
The incident in question happened in the year 2007, after Mourinho had been sacked by Chelsea the first time, and the “Special One” was keen on managing the English national team.
FA’s slow response frustrated Mourinho
The FA was being headed by David Dein whose hesitation led the Portuguese manager to join the Milan club. This interesting news was given by journalist Robert Beasley in his new book, Jose Mourinho: Up Close and Personal.
The extract from his upcoming book further reveals the frustration which the Portuguese manager endured while awaiting a response from the FA. At the time, the FA was looking to replace Steve McClaren, who failed to get the team to EURO 2008, after a miserable qualifying campaign.
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While the apprehension of the FA was understandable at the time, it was their failure to communicate to Mourinho which led him to being whisked away to Italy.
Beasley goes on to say that Inter Milan’s offer was a head turner for Jose and the option to work day to day with players was the clinching point. The said incident has been acknowledged by Mourinho and Beasley has been permitted to include this story in his upcoming book.
Mourinho a much sought-after manager
Mourinho who has managed Porto, Chelsea (twice), Inter Milan, Real Madrid and currently Manchester United, has been a much sought-after coach ever since his famous run along the Old Trafford touchline when his Porto side ousted Sir Alex Ferguson’s, Manchester United.
Prior to his job as manager of Inter Milan, Mourinho had been unceremoniously sacked by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, following some tepid results.
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The FA was also under fire at the time for the poor display of the national team and it was understandable that the FA chose to wait and review further candidates, before appointing a suitable successor. The job was finally offered to Italian, Fabio Cappello, who managed to take England to the World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
The book, Jose Mourinho: Up Close and Personal by Robert Beasley, has intriguing stories about the man who announced himself as “The Special One”. The book also dwells on the relationship between Arsene Wenger and Mourinho, among other things.