Jose Mourinho says the love of Manchester United fans around the world will be more important to Sir Alex Ferguson than the £2million-a-year he has lost as a club ambassador.
Ferguson will step down from his lucrative role at the end of the season after new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe decided to rip up his contract as part of a cost-cutting programme.
Mourinho was asked about the decision as he prepared to meet United as Fenerbahce boss in Thursday night’s Europa League tie in Istanbul.
‘My relationship with Sir Alex was amazing, incredible,’ said Mourinho. ‘When my Netflix documentary comes out, you will know more about the reason why I have so much respect for him.
‘The ambassadorial role, I really don’t know that situation. It doesn’t matter why, it doesn’t matter what, Sir Alex has the most important thing: the love and respect of every Manchester United fan around the world. That is more important than the role or a few pounds he can make.’
Jose Mourinho spoke of his admiration for Sir Alex Ferguson in the wake of news that the Man United legend has been stripped of his contract
The pair of former Red Devils bosses have enjoyed a long relationship both on and off the pitch
On the situation at United since he left in December 2018, Ten Hag added: ‘Honestly, I didn’t lose one minute thinking about it. I wish the best to Man United since the moment I left.
‘I left with a good feeling to the club, with a good feeling to the fans and I want the best for them. So if things are not going amazingly well for them, it’s not something that makes me happy. But at the same time I have no time and it doesn’t make sense for me to be thinking about what happened or what didn’t happen.’
