JOSE MOURINHO could still return to England despite his dramatic dismissal from Roma.
That is according to Chelsea hero Mario Melchiot, who claims the Three Lions position is probably the only team Mourinho would return to the UK for.
The Special One had two glittering stints with the Blues as he won three Premier League titles, an FA Cup trophy and three League Cups.
The Portuguese tactician also won the EFL Cup as well as the Europa League with Manchester United before a two-year stint with Tottenham.
Melchiot is not sure if the ex-Real Madrid manager has anything left to prove in the Premier League.
However, the former Birmingham and Wigan star believes the England job poses as a major possibility as long as Mourinho is open to “slowing down” after 24 years of club football.
Read More on Football
Plus, a lot will depend on how England fare in Euro 2024 with manager Gareth Southgate’s deal running out in December.
Melchiot told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “Jose Mourinho has always been a strong character, and football teams need characters, whether that’s on the pitch or in the dugout.
“He’s so instrumental; if you talk to any players who have worked with him, they love him. I wasn’t fortunate enough to work with him during a season, as I left Chelsea just as he arrived in 2004.
“But I’ve had enough conversations with him over the years to know what he’s like as a person. And whenever I came up against Chelsea in my career, Jose would always go out of his way to stop and talk to me.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
“He’s the kind of guy who respects good players, whether they’re on his team or not. And if he respects you as a player, he will stop you in the tunnel, and shake your hand. And every time I played against his team, he would do that to me.
“Do I see him coming back to England? I’m not sure. Why would he? He has done so many great things in this country. He had two spells in charge of Chelsea and was successful in both, he’s also managed Manchester United and Tottenham before going out to Italy.
Glum Jose Mourinho fights back tears as he leaves Roma training ground after being brutally sacked and replaced
“I just don’t know what else he’d need to prove in England. What is he going to do next? Go to Liverpool? Probably not. I suppose the only job he might take in England, now, is the national job.
“It’s something that has been spoken about in the past and, personally, I think that would just come down to what the FA want from their next manager.
“Then you’ve got to ask whether or not Jose wants to slow down… Taking a national job is a sign of a manager slowing down, because the demands of that kind of role are completely different to those within club football management.
“Everyone knows how he likes to play, so you’ve got to look at that, too. His style of play… Does that suit England right now, and where they want to be?
“If England want him, then he’s a great name to bring in when Gareth Southgate moves on, for sure.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
