Browsing: Mourinho

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim looks to be a target for Portuguese giants Benfica.

The 40-year-old took over at Old Trafford in November 2024, but has faced criticism throughout his tenure due to inconsistent results.

United have won only three of their opening eight matches this season, and were dumped out of the Carabao Cup in the first round by League Two side Grimsby Town.

It seems Benfica hold an interest in Amorim, despite recently appointing Jose Mourinho as their new manager.

Former Benfica striker Nuno Gomes is currently running to become president of the Lisbon-based side, and recently discussed his vision for the future with Portuguese sports paper Record.

Gomes was coy when asked whether he’d be interested in taking Amorim back to Primeira Liga to replace Mourinho, however, and stated, “Ruben is, above all, a great friend to whom I wish success at Manchester United.”

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While he couldn’t confirm or deny a future approach for United’s manager, Gomes was more forthcoming with plans to test Manchester City’s resolve on midfielder Bernardo Silva.

“[We] will make every effort”, he said when asked whether he’d like the Portugal international return to his boyhood club.

FourFourTwo understands that United currently have no plans to dispatch of Amorim – but if the club finish below the European places, they could well part ways with the Portuguese, leading to the potential replacement of Mourinho.

Jose Mourinho is now at Benfica (Image credit: Getty Images)

Benfica’s presidential elections will take place on October 25th, and rumours surrounding the future of both Amorim and Silva could ramp up if Gomes is elected.

Manchester United take on Liverpool this weekend when Premier League action returns.

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Former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho returned to Benfica last month, 25 years after beginning his managerial career with the Lisbon club.

Mourinho was sacked by Fenerbahce but was quickly snapped up by Benfica, who offered him Champions League football and the chance to go back to West London for his warmest Chelsea reunion yet.

The Blues came out on top on Tuesday, winning 1-0 but losing striker Joao Pedro to a second yellow card deep into second-half stoppage time.

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Porto have a 100% record while Benfica have won five matches and are the only other unbeaten team in the division.

“I’d like to say that President Florentino sent me a message saying, ‘I’m very happy that you’ve returned to a club of your calibre’,” Mourinho told the press.

The reunions are coming thick and fast for the new Benfica boss, who takes his team to table-topping Porto for a league fixture on Sunday.

Benfica have been victorious in three of their last four league meetings against their historic rivals and winning both games 4-1 in 2024-25.

Mourinho will also have his moment with Perez. Real Madrid visit the Estadio da Luz at the end of January as the two teams wrap up their league phase campaigns in the Champions League.

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The hair is whiter now.

Mourinho has portrayed himself as “more altruistic” and “less egocentric”, which will no doubt amuse those who have followed his career.

The Benfica manager has even insisted he has not returned to his homeland to “wage war” after reaching out to Porto president Andre Villas-Boas – his former colleague – and Sporting president Frederico Varandas.

Yet the obsession remains.

“Others accept defeat, but he fights that,” Peseiro said. “Even now, he doesn’t accept losing. He lives for football.

“Normally, when you age, you understand. ‘I lose, no problem, it’s life’ – but he’s still the same. He has less friends than others because the focus is football, football, football. He’s a passionate guy. He doesn’t like to lose. He wants to win.”

It won’t come as a surprise, then, that in his first week at Benfica, Mourinho took aim at the video assistant referee.

He also spoke directly to referee Sergio Guelho at half-time to ask why he had not booked Rio Ave goalkeeper Cezary Miszta for slowing the game down during a 1-1 draw.

And he’s not exactly been shy in critiquing his own side in public, claiming they were “naive” after conceding a late equaliser.

Sound familiar?

Kalou was 20 when he joined Chelsea and walked into a heavyweight dressing room fresh from winning back-to-back Premier League titles under Mourinho.

The Ivorian quickly realised his new manager was a straight talker.

“What I liked about him the most was his honesty,” he said. “He will never sugar-coat anything. As a player, I respected that.”

Kalou felt the full force of Mourinho’s sharp tongue even after the Portuguese left.

After watching Kalou score against his Inter Milan side, in 2010, Mourinho knocked on the Chelsea team bus post-match and asked his former player to come outside.

“When you were with me, you didn’t score like this,” he told him. “Be careful!”

Football has changed, of course.

But Mourinho made it clear to his Benfica players following his appointment that he would be “very direct”.

As well as pledging he would say a “lot of good things”, he also vowed to tell them “a lot of bad things”.

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Mourinho made his name during a spell with Porto between 2002 and 2004 where he won six trophies, including the…

Jose Mourinho could return to Manchester United this season after leaving his post as manager of Fenerbahce.The 62-year-old Portuguese coach…