Jose Mourinho 'love letter to Manchester United' report slammed as 'totally absurd'

The Independent claimed that former Chelsea manager Mourinho sent United a six-page letter in which he outlined why he would be a suitable fit for the position, which is currently occupied by under-pressure Dutchman Louis van Gaal.

According to the report, Mourinho explained in the letter how he would be prepared to adapt his style of management to suit the demands at Old Trafford, and how he would seek to overhaul the squad.

United declined to comment on the report when contacted by Press Association Sport.

But agent Mendes was more happy to comment, releasing a strongly-worded statement via his agency Gestifute.

"It does not occur to anyone that a coach like Jose Mourinho can write letters to clubs offering their services," he said in the statement.

“It is absolutely ridiculous and totally absurd."

Mourinho left Chelsea in December after a poor start to the season, despite his team winning the Premier League in the previous campaign.

The 52-year-old Portuguese's fondness for United is well known and he has been linked with the job before, but United chose David Moyes to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 and Van Gaal to come in a year later.

As well as two spells at Chelsea, Mourinho has previously bossed Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

After he departed Chelsea before Christmas, Blues coach Steve Holland predicted Mourinho would want to soon be back involved in the game at the highest level.

"He's a guy who needs and wants football," said Holland. "There will be clubs and big clubs who will want him.

"And he's not in my opinion the sort of guy who's going to spend six, seven, eight months sitting at home doing nothing in particular."

Pressure mounted on Van Gaal after United's 1-0 defeat to Southampton on Saturday, which left the Red Devils five points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham.

The initial report about the 'love letter' from Mourinho was certainly an amusing one. Would Mourinho really send a letter to a club? It really does seem unlikely, particularly given the likelihood of it being leaked to a gleeful social media. Mendes was either happy to swat this one away quickly or desperate to conceal something - either way, it is perhaps surprising that he has taken the time to dismiss it in such strong terms when he could have just let it slip away. After Van Gaal's latest disastrous result for United, a change cannot come soon enough for many fans.