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Jose Mourinho: I was lucky to get Manchester United job after Chelsea sacking
JOSE MOURINHO reckons he was 'lucky' to be handed the Manchester United job after being sacked by Chelsea.
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The Portuguese boss was relieved of his duties at Chelsea in December last year after his second spell at Stamford Bridge ended in controversy.
Mourinho won the Premier League title for the third time with the Blues in 2014/15, but they began their defence of their crown in shocking fashion.
Jose Mourinho smiles during a Manchester United press conference
The Blues lost nine of their 16 top-flight games under the 53-year-old and sat just one point above the relegation zone in 16th, which left Roman Abramovich with no choice but to wield the axe.
Mourinho's public spat with former club doctor Eva Carneiro didn't help his case either, with the Manchester United boss eventually agreeing to an out-of-court settlement in June.
Mourinho was involved in a public spat with former Chelsea club doctor Eva Carneiro
But, ahead of his return to Chelsea with United today, he insists his end to life in west London has not had a lasting effect on him and is thankful that United chiefs focused on his impressive CV instead of his most recent failure.
He said: "That period came in a part of my career when I was already a grown man. I was not a kid."
Jose Mourinho during his last game as Chelsea manager against Leicester before getting sacked
And he added: "I was lucky to have a big club like Man United, who focused on my career and not my last three months.
"I was lucky enough to have the chance to stay in the competition I most love and to stay in a big club like Man United, with a big project, with a big challenge like I have in my hands.
"Everything is positive."
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