Jose Mourinho has been persuaded by former Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo to take his next job

Jose Mourinho has emerged as a candidate to become permanent manager at the Etihad, with former Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo apparently convincing his former Real Madrid boss to join him in Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo joined Al Nasr in January after leaving Manchester United in December 2022 and has since seen a massive overhaul of players and coaches also heading to the Middle East. Now, with former Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo becoming the latest manager to leave, Mourinho’s legacy with the 49-year-old Open positions linked together.

Mourinho, who is currently in charge of Roma, said he received a “crazy offer” earlier this year to manage Al Hilal, who currently own Brazilian star Neymar. But now the most promising offer is said to be Al-Ittihad’s vacant management position.

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Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Fabinho all joined the Al Etihad in the summer, but things have not gone to plan for the reigning Saudi champions so far. 11 points behind league leaders Al Hilal after 12 games. Speaking in September, former Old Trafford boss Mourinho revealed: “During the holidays I received the biggest, craziest offer that a coach has ever received in the history of football.

“I refused. I did it because I made a commitment to my players, I made a commitment to the fans and I made a commitment to the club owners.”

However, the Portuguese later gave an interview to MBC Egypt TV channel, owned by the Saudi MBC Group, in which he outlined his desire to move to Saudi Arabia in the future: “I will go to Saudi Arabia in some free time, but I am sure that I will Work there.

“I don’t know when, but I’m sure. No one knows the future, but I will definitely do it (work in Saudi Arabia). The doors of Saudi Arabia are always open for me. I want to feel what’s going on there.”

Mourinho added that it was Ronaldo who actually paved the way for the transfer, telling how the 38-year-old began to change perceptions of the Saudi professional league. Mourinho said: “Cristiano was the first one to go there and immediately offer a different point of view.”

“The players thought it was a one-man show at first, but they realized in the summer that everything was really changing. A lot of players, not just at the end of their careers, but some in the best years of their careers.” , we come because the game is real, not only the domestic league, the AFC Champions League is also interesting. “