Jose Mourinho has not given up hope of winning a Premier League title for Manchester United, the outspoken coach said Wednesday.
Mourinho, now in charge of Turkish team Fenerbahce, faces a reunion with former club United in the Europa League on Thursday.
Ahead of that match, he said United could yet be crowned English champion for 2018 if Manchester City is found guilty of breaching the league's financial rules and stripped of titles.
“I think we still have a chance to win that league because maybe they punish Man City with points and maybe we win that league and they have to pay me the bonus and give me the medal,” Mourinho said mischievously.
City faces more than 100 charges ranging over a nine-year period when it was trying to establish itself as the biggest force in English soccer. Potential punishments could include a fine, points deduction or even expulsion from the England’s top division, according to league rules.
Mourinho led United to second place in the 2017-18 season — finishing 19 points behind champion City, which was accused by the league of providing misleading information about its finances from 2009-18 after being bought by the ruling family of Abu Dhabi in 2008.
City's dominance in England came on the back of signing some of the world’s leading players like Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne.
In the face of that, Mourinho, who won two Champions League titles during his time at Porto and Inter Milan, as well as league titles in Portugal, Italy, Spain and England, has described finishing runner-up with United as one of his finest achievements of his career.
He also won the Europa League and English League Cup during a two-and-a-half-year spell at United.
Ahead of Thursday's game in Istanbul, he said United is one of the two favorites to win the Europa League.
“If I have to say now which are the two biggest candidates to win the Europa League, I think it’s easy, Manchester United and Tottenham,” he said at a news conference.
United may be 12th in the Premier League but Mourinho said it is “a better team than results are showing."
“I don’t see any reason for Manchester United to be afraid of Fenerbahce but I think they know it’s not an easy game for them,” he said. “If they come thinking it’ll be easy, it is the wrong approach and I don’t think that will be the approach. They know the game can be difficult for them.”
Mourinho joined Fenerbahce in June in a bid to end a 10-year wait for the Turkish championship. He left Roma in January.
Fenerbahce is fourth in its domestic league after eight matches.
United is without captain Bruno Fernandes, who is serving a one-game ban after he received two yellow cards and was sent off in a 3-3 draw in the previous Europa League game at Porto, the club Mourinho steered to the UEFA Cup title in 2003.
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Karel Janicek contributed.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
James Robson, The Associated Press
