By DPA
London : Former Chelsea football coach Jose Mourinho ruled himself out of the running for the vacant England manager’s position.
Mourinho, a Portuguese, confirmed he had talks with Brian Barwick, the chief executive officer of the Football Association (FA), and Sir Trevor Brooking, the director of football development but decided against pursuing his interest.
“After Steve McClaren left the England football team, my representatives maintained contact with the FA,” Mourinho said in a statement posted on the website of his agent, Jorge Mendes.
“In that sense, I had myself useful discussions with Brian Barwick and Trevor where we exchanged ideas to evaluate the entire situation about the England squad and set the goals in case of real invitation being addressed to me.
“After deep and serious thinking, I decided to exclude myself from being England manager despite it being a fantastic position for me.
“I’m sure FA will hire a great manager, one able to place the team back where it belongs. I reiterate my respect for English football and, after three good years in England, I firmly believe that the England squad will soon be back to their usual great results,” he said.
Mourinho is likely to pursue his career with a top European club, while the FA will turn their attentions to the other names on their shortlist: Fabio Capello, Martin O’Neill, Marcello Lippi and Jurgen Klinsmann.