Jose Mourinho can be the new Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, according to Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri.
The Portuguese has succeeded Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford, and managed United for the first time on Saturday, steering them to a 2-0 pre-season win over Wigan Athletic.
And Ranieri – whom Mourinho replaced as Chelsea manager in 2004 – believes that the former Real Madrid and Inter boss will thrive at Old Trafford.
“Mourinho can be the new Ferguson,” he is quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror. “He will not stay in Manchester for 26 years, but he will leave his mark.”
United and Leicester will clash in the Community Shield in August, and Ranieri is eagerly anticipating the fixture between the FA Cup winners and the Premier League champions.
Indeed, Ranieri triumphed in their last encounter, with Leicester’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea in December proving to be the final game of Mourinho’s reign as Blues boss.
“His rematch against me on August 7? That’s the beauty of football. Our sport is a magnificent container of stories,” he added.
Following Mourinho’s dismissal Guus Hiddink was handed the reins on a temporary basis prior to the appointment of Antonio Conte, and Ranieri believes his countryman and the Blues are “bound to like each other”.
“They must get to know each other well and prevent the inevitable culture clashes from confusing them.
“But if they follow his lead in Cobham, then they’ll get an Italian Chelsea. And they’ll have some fun in London.”
And in a star-studded Premier League, Pep Guardiola will also be vying for supremacy, and Ranieri has also hailed the Catalan.
“Guardiola seems to me like the right man in the right place. He’s coming to a club that pursued beautiful football, starting from Roberto Mancini and on with Manuel Pellegrini.”
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