Mourinho says long-term tenure at Man United unlikely

Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho listens to questions during a news conference at Benfica’s Luz stadium in Lisbon, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017. Manchester United will face Benfica Wednesday in a Champions League group A soccer match. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

LISBON, Portugal — Jose Mourinho believes the days of a coach lasting “15 to 20 years in the same club” are over, making it unlikely he will end his managerial career at Manchester United.

Speaking ahead of United’s Champions League match against Benfica on Wednesday, the 54-year-old Mourinho said he plans to stay in soccer management for “15 years minimum.”

“It is impossible to last for so long (at one club),” Mourinho said. “If, in this moment, I wanted to finish my career in two, three, four or five years then I would say yes, I want to finish my career with Manchester United.”

The Portuguese coach was responding to comments he made about his future at United in an interview conducted with French television that aired on Sunday. In that interview, he also spoke in glowing terms about Paris Saint-Germain and the French club’s bid to shake up the established order in Europe with their recent recruitment.

“The answer is that nothing is happening: I am not signing a new five-year contract and I am not leaving for PSG,” Mourinho said about his situation. “I am at Manchester United and I have a contract. And that is it.”

“I was asked,” he added, “how is it possible in modern football that any manager is going to last 15 to 20 years in the same club? I think Arsene Wenger is the last one at Arsenal. It is impossible for us with everything that surrounds the job, all of the pressures that surround the job.”

Mourinho joined United in 2016 on a three-year contract with the option to stay until at least 2020.