Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has admitted he would be open to forming an unlikely friendship with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger once the Frenchman departs the Emirates at the end of this season.
Both coaches have been embroiled in some heated war of words over the last decade with United’s Portuguese coach once famously branding his counterpart a ”specialist in failure.”
However, since Wenger announced his decision to step down as Gunners boss after 22 years in the job at the end of this campaign Mourinho has been quick to point out how much he respects the 68-year-old.
Both managers are the second most successful in Premier League history with three title wins and they will face off for the final time next weekend when Arsenal travel to Old Trafford.
“If he respects me even 50 per cent of what I respect him we can even be friends in the future,” Mourinho told Sky Sports.
“I have lots of respect for him.
“But the reality is that he was at Arsenal, he was the champion and I came to the country in 2004 and wanted to steal his title. That’s football.
“But in the end I respect him a lot, I tried to show that in the past couple of years there were no more problems at a different stage of my career with a different profile.
“I feel sorry that after Sir Alex Ferguson – but it was obviously Sir Alex’s decision [to leave] – the next big one, the next iconic one is leaving the Premier League.”
