Jose Mourinho has confirmed he agreed in 2013 to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager, before performing a late U-turn to rejoin Chelsea instead. The revelation, made in a new Netflix documentary about his career, ends years of speculation and sheds light on one of English football's most notable near-misses in management. Ferguson corroborated the account, saying Mourinho had appeared to accept the role before changing his mind within hours.

Mourinho, now 63 and back at Real Madrid for a second spell, said he could not break his word to Chelsea, where he had previously won successive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006, and told Ferguson by phone that he was unable to take the United job. He went on to win a further Premier League title and the League Cup at Chelsea, before eventually managing United between 2016 and 2018, winning the League Cup and Europa League but being sacked in December 2018. The documentary also touches on his difficult relationship with former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and the fallout with Iker Casillas during his first spell at Real Madrid, where he won La Liga with a record 100 points in 2011-12 before being dismissed in 2013.