LONDON – Jose Mourinho said on Wednesday he has a “future without Manchester United”, speaking for the first time since he was sacked by the Premier League club.
The Old Trafford hierarchy sacked Mourinho in the aftermath of Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at Anfield that left the 20-times champions an embarrassing 19 points behind league leaders Liverpool after just 17 matches.
But the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss refused to go into details about his departure.
“I don’t change. And what I did when I left Chelsea, for example, is the same as that I’m going to do now,” Mourinho told Sky Sports News.
“I keep the good things and I don’t speak about anything that happened in the club.
“We could speak about so many good things. It’s finished,” he added.
“Manchester United has a future without me, and I have a future without Manchester United, so why should I now be sharing with you or even with the supporters, any of my feelings?
“It’s over. That’s me and that’s the way I’ve always been.
“And I was always very critical of managers that leave clubs and then they come out and they speak about details of what happened and who is to blame for this kind of situation – that’s not me.
“I just want to finish, it happened yesterday and I’d like to say ‘It’s game over’.
“And I just hope that you media respect this. Until I get back to football, I think I have the right to live my normal life, like I’m going to do now.
“I go for my little shopping, I go for my little walk, and that’s what I want to do. Manchester United is the past.”
Former United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was announced as Mourinho’s temporary replacement on Wednesday.
"Why should I be sharing more now, even with the supporters, any of my feelings? It's over." 🤫
Jose Mourinho says he and @ManUtd have future in football: https://t.co/DilUQ6Uor3 pic.twitter.com/F2JdnfvMLw
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 19, 2018