Mourinho's Manchester return a potential glimpse into United's future

The Real Madrid boss has long been touted as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor, and his Champions League clash with the Scot could prove to be a welcome audition for the Portuguese
Having seen Costinha’s last-minute equaliser dump the English title-holders out of the Champions League and help pave the way to the final which his Porto side would go on to win, Mourinho’s big impression on English football was made and milked with 40-odd steps down the touchline.

Nine years on, facing the most high-profile crisis of his managerial career at Real Madrid, the Portuguese will return to the Theatre of Dreams after the Spanish champions and Sir Alex Ferguson’s side were paired together in the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League.

The timing could not feel more appropriate.
Aged 70 and over 26 years into the greatest managerial reign in English football's history, Sir Alex will welcome the man he only recently described as a "cheeky bugger" with a glass of red wine and the knowledge that he may be facing up to his eventual successor.

It is the Scot, after all, who is most likely to have the ultimate, deciding say on who is trusted in maintaining the legacy which has seen him make the Old Trafford outfit the most domestically successful in the English game.

Having nearly retired just over a decade ago, it was Sir Alex's wife Cathy who convinced the then 60-year-old to remain in the game, prompting a dramatic U-turn from him in February 2002, with the club's former chief executive Peter Kenyon having considered the likes of Sven-Goran Eriksson, Martin O'Neill and Ottmar Hitzfeld for the role.

Over a decade, five titles and a second Champions League crown later, Sir Alex has repeatedly made clear that he will remain in charge for as long as his health allows, though, typical of the man, life at Old Trafford beyond him is very much at the forefront of his current plans.

From building a squad of promising, impassioned youngsters to monitoring both Mourinho and the currently out-of-work Pep Guardiola, the United boss has made clear to those in corridors of power in both Carrington and the Theatre of Dreams that only the finest candidates in world football should be considered worthy of replacing him.

"The business of who succeeds him is paramount in Ferguson's mind," a source told Goal.com in September. "And Mourinho and Guardiola are the only two who, right now, he would consider entrusting the immediate and long-term future of the club to."

Mourinho, far more than his Catalan counterpart, divides opinion in and around the red half of Manchester. Sir Alex only this week moved to praise the man who guided Chelsea to their first title in half a century during his first season at the club, lauding the 49-year-old as "charismatic" and "intelligent" to academics at Harvard Business School.

The close relationship between both managers has proven a quite remarkable period of detente, with the self-styled 'Special One' having gained Sir Alex's respect during his time at Stamford Bridge, while the Portuguese greatly appreciated the United boss organising a guard of honour for Chelsea's title-winning side when they arrived at Old Trafford in 2005.

The bond remained following Mourinho's departure from Chelsea and during his spells at Inter and Real Madrid, with the pair frequently speaking on the phone according to sources at United's Carrington training ground. And, despite their shared passion for wine, Sir Alex and the Madrid coach met at Manchester's Lowry Hotel for high tea when the Spanish side visited City at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League in November.

However, influential senior figures at United are yet to be convinced, with Sir Bobby Charlton having openly criticised Mourinho's behaviour during his career earlier this month, no doubt casting an eye back to his touchline sideshow in 2004. Manchester’s Mafiosos never forget.