Mourinho Reveals 2013 Man Utd Deal to Succeed Ferguson
Jose Mourinho has revealed he agreed a deal to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United back in 2013, only for a late change of heart to take him back to Chelsea instead. The admission, reported by the BBC and several other outlets, sheds fresh light on one of the great what-if moments in the Red Devils’ recent history.
Ferguson stepped down in the summer of 2013 after 26 years and more than 30 trophies at Old Trafford. United handed the job to David Moyes, whose reign lasted less than a season, and the club has cycled through a string of managers since. Mourinho did eventually take charge in 2016, winning the EFL Cup and Europa League before his 2018 departure – but this is the clearest suggestion yet that an agreement was on the table three years earlier.
What Mourinho revealed
According to the reports, Mourinho had agreed to replace Ferguson before choosing to return to Stamford Bridge for a second spell in charge of Chelsea. The Portuguese has discussed the near-miss in comments carried by outlets including the BBC and ESPN, framing it as a job he came remarkably close to taking long before he finally did in 2016.
For United supporters, it is a glimpse of a path not taken. The club’s focus now sits firmly in the present, with the latest Manchester United team news dominated by Michael Carrick’s pre-season preparations – but Mourinho’s admission will reopen the debate about how the post-Ferguson era might have looked.
