In an interview with Oliver Kay from the Times, Jose Mourinho talks at length about his footballing ideologies.
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Mourinho has long been characterised as short-termist. He gets results, he wins trophies — at Porto, at Chelsea, at Inter Milan, at Real Madrid, at Chelsea (again) and now at United — and he moves on. Sometimes (at Porto, at Inter) he has left on incredible highs.
At other times, most starkly when a league title success at Chelsea was followed by an alarming nosedive the next autumn, he has left amid acrimony and turmoil. His suggestions of following in Sir Alex Ferguson's footsteps, staying longer at United than at any of his previous clubs, have been met with scepticism — unfairly, he believes.
"If people say that because I win and leave, I have to accept that because in a certain period of my career I did that," says Mourinho.
"They're right, but I don't think I am [short-termist]. I prepare clubs for success. I think I prepare clubs in a way where, when I leave, the new manager arrives at a top club. And that is not short-term even if you leave.
"One who leaves the club in conditions for failure, is a short-term manager. You can be there ten or 20 years and when you leave the club, it's ready for failure."
There has even been speculative talk of an extension to the three-year contract that began at the start of last season.
"I don't need a new contract to work to my limits. I don't have a problem to arrive at the end of my contract and be free to decide what I want to do and the club free to decide what they want to do," United manager added.
"When I came to Chelsea in 2004 I never thought to stay for 20 years. Never. When I went to Italy I always had in mind I had to go to Spain. But I'm in a different moment in my career now. I always had Spain and Italy [as places where he hoped to manage], but England is my passion and at this moment I can say I would like to stay many years."
