# Mourinho says he almost replaced Ferguson at Manchester United 2026-08-10T08:54:10+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Jose Mourinho has confirmed he was close to replacing Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager in 2013, before he chose to return to Chelsea instead. Speaking in a Netflix documentary about his career, the 63-year-old said he had agreed to take over at Old Trafford after leaving Real Madrid. Ferguson, who retired in 2013 after 26 years and 13 Premier League titles at United, said he offered Mourinho the job, and believed the Portuguese had accepted it. "Within hours, it changed," Ferguson added. Mourinho, who won two Premier League titles with Chelsea in his first stint, said the lure of returning to the club proved too strong. He called the decision "dramatic" but said he does not regret it because he acted with his heart. He eventually managed United from 2016 to 2019, winning the UEFA Europa League. The 63-year-old is now in his second spell at Real Madrid, the outlet reports. ## Coverage - sportstar.thehindu.com - sports.ndtv.com Tags: football, Jose Mourinho, Manchester United, Netflix documentary, Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/mourinho-says-he-almost-replaced-ferguson-at-manchester-united/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/mourinho-says-he-almost-replaced-ferguson-at-manchester-united/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.