Jose Mourinho has fuelled speculation about his future at Real Madrid by revealing in an interview he could return to work in England "sooner than expected."
Mourinho, who is embroiled in a bitter feud with Madrid's sporting director Jorge Valdano, told the Sunday Mirror he always envisioned returning to work in England following his departure from Chelsea in 2007.
"It's always important for me and my family to be happy and I love English football and my family love England," he told the Mirror.
"I have always maintained I will return one day but maybe it will come sooner than I expected."
Mourinho headed to the Bernabeu last summer after leading Inter Milan to an unprecedented treble including the Champions League.
The 48-year-old, who led Chelsea to two league titles during his three-year reign, said he never expected to remain at the club for an extended period of time while Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich remained the owner.
"I was never under any illusions," he said. "I understood the personality of Roman Abramovich and the culture of the people around him.
"And I knew it was not a job for 10 years. My role was to give this man what he wanted - victory - knowing that, sooner or later, my time would finish, because there were too many things going on around me."
{{/usCountry}}"And I knew it was not a job for 10 years. My role was to give this man what he wanted - victory - knowing that, sooner or later, my time would finish, because there were too many things going on around me."
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