Mourinho reveals he had a deal to replace Ferguson at Manchester United

Jose Mourinho has made a striking revelation about one of the most debated managerial transitions in football history. In a new documentary set for release, Mourinho says he had reached an agreement to take over at Manchester United following Sir Alex Ferguson's departure in 2013.

As is well known, Ferguson retired in the summer of 2013 after a legendary 26-year tenure, and the club announced David Moyes, then managing Everton, as his successor. Moyes's short-lived spell at the helm is remembered as one of the most turbulent transition periods in the club's history.

In details shared in the documentary, Mourinho says he spoke directly with Ferguson and indicated he was ready to take on the role. He recounts, however, that events took a different turn at the last moment and the club ultimately chose Moyes instead.

Mourinho, who was managing Real Madrid at the time, had previously expressed a desire to return to England on various occasions. This claim reveals that his eventual move to Manchester United was, in fact, first discussed in 2013 — three years before it officially took place in 2016.

Football historians say the revelation opens a new perspective on the turbulent period the club experienced after 2013. Following Moyes, the club went on to appoint Louis van Gaal and eventually Mourinho himself, yet was never able to recapture its former level of success.

Experts suggest that had Mourinho taken charge in 2013, the club's transition period could have unfolded very differently. Mourinho's experience and capacity for immediate results might have spared the club some of the difficulties Moyes encountered.

Some analysts, however, note that fit with club culture and long-term vision were priority criteria in the process of selecting Ferguson's successor. Ferguson's own preference for Moyes, they suggest, may indicate that Mourinho's style did not fully align with the club's management approach at the time.

By the time Mourinho eventually arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 2016, the club had already gone through three managerial changes. Mourinho's own tenure lasted roughly two and a half years, ending in 2018.

The revelation adds a new dimension to the narrative of "missed opportunities" surrounding Mourinho's career. The Portuguese manager has been linked with various major clubs throughout his career, though some moves never materialized as expected.

With the documentary's release, discussion is expected to intensify among fans and football commentators over the alternative scenario of a "Mourinho era" at Old Trafford. The question of how the club's difficult post-2013 years might have unfolded under a different managerial choice is drawing keen interest across the football world.