Chelsea’s Mourinho on England job future: ‘I like your country very, very much’

Saying that right now he's 'too young, too strong, have too much appetite to train every day' for a national coaching gig, Mourinho nonetheless admits the England job interests him down the line.

Jose Mourinho says he would one day like to coach the England national football team. Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters

The opportunity to manage the England national team in the future is something that Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho would welcome because he likes the country "very, very much."
Roy Hodgson's side were knocked out of the World Cup in Brazil after Costa Rica beat Group D rivals Italy 1-0 on Friday but Mourinho ruled out any prospect of taking on the England job any time soon.
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Asked if he would ever manage England, the former Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Porto coach told ITV News: "Yes. Not now, not seven years ago when I had the chance.
"I made the right decision then, my wife helped me make the right decision," added Mourinho in a reference to when his first spell at Chelsea came to an end in 2007.
"Not now. No way. I'm too young, too strong, have too much appetite to train every day, to play every game, to play three times a week. But I like your country very, very much. I feel at home," said Mourinho.
"Of course the passport doesn't change, the heart doesn't change. I'm Portuguese 100 per cent."
Mourinho, who went back to Stamford Bridge 12 months ago after ending his three-year reign at Real, said he was looking forward to seeing former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas at Chelsea next season.
Fabregas, 27, whose Spain team have also been eliminated from the World Cup, joined the Londoners from Barcelona earlier this month.
"He is the kind of player we need, not just for his qualities as a player but also his competitive personality," said Mourinho.
"He is a player in the best years of his career, he knows England well, he knows the Premier League so he will not need time to adapt.
"I think he is the kind of player who will come and train for a couple of weeks and be ready to prove himself."
Chelsea failed to win a trophy under Mourinho last season, finishing third in the Premier League and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League before being eliminated by eventual runners-up Atletico Madrid.
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