Jose Mourinho refuses to respond to pack of journalists as speculation grows he may replace the sacked Fernando Santos as Portugal manager… with Maniche backing the former Chelsea and Man United boss to take over
Jose Mourinho has refused to comment on links to the vacant Portugal manager’s job after being swamped by journalists.
Fernando Santos was sacked by the Portuguese FA on Thursday after his side’s surprise World Cup quarter-final exit against Morocco.
And Mourinho, upon arriving in Faro with his Roma side, was bombarded with questions on his future from a pack of waiting journalists but did not respond at all.
Jose Mourinho (above) has refused to comment on links to the vacant Portugal manager’s job
Fernando Santos was sacked on Thursday after his side’s shock World Cup quarter-final exit
Video on social media shows the high-profile boss, formerly of Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United, steadfastly ignoring the media’s questions.
Mourinho, who won the inaugural Europa Conference League trophy with the Italian side in May, then smiles as he picks up a microphone cover from the floor and hands it back to a journalist, before climbing aboard a team bus with his players.
There has been speculation Mourinho could ‘job-share’, keeping his current role at Roma while also taking charge of his home nation, although doing both is extremely rare.
He has strong knowledge of Portuguese football, a good pedigree of winning trophies at the top level and has the clout to help manage big players with big reputations, for example Cristiano Ronaldo.
And video footage released on social media showed Mourinho ignoring questions on his future
He then smiled as he handed over a microphone cover that fell, before boarding the team bus
The Giallorossi travelled abroad for mid-season friendlies during the World Cup tournament
Former Portugal midfielder Maniche, who played under Mourinho at Porto and with the Blues, told Radio Renascenca that the 59-year-old would do a good job if he took over.
He said: ‘He is an experienced coach who is very prepared for difficulties because he knows our football and football abroad, he is intelligent and knows how to deal with young people. He has already adapted to this generation and proved it by winning a title at Roma, which didn’t happen a few years ago.’
Mourinho’s Roma side, in Portugal for mid-season friendlies during the World Cup, return to Serie A action against Bologna on January 4.
Santos had famously led Portugal to European Championships success in 2016 and later won UEFA’s inaugural Nations League in 2018-19.
Lille boss Paulo Fonseca (above) is also believed to be among the contenders to replace Santos
But both the fans and the higher-ups in Portuguese football are thought to prefer Mourinho
Mourinho’s presence in the dugout could help prolong the international career of veteran forward Cristiano Ronaldo (right)
Sportsmail revealed on Wednesday that the Portuguese Football Federation were considering plans to axe the coach following his eight-year stint in charge of the national team.
The PFF have now decided to let the manager go and are now on the hunt for a new head coach ahead of the Euro 2024 campaign, with Mourinho understood to be in the frame and Mourinho’s predecessor at Roma, Paulo Fonseca, also believed to be a leading candidate.
Santos boldly chose to drop Portuguese icon Ronaldo ahead of his side’s last-16 clash against Switzerland.
He had lost patience with the 37-year-old forward following his negative reaction after being substituted against South Korea during the group stage – and whoever takes over will have to manage the Ronaldo situation very carefully.
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