Mourinho says he agreed to replace Ferguson at Man Utd

Mourinho Confirms He Had Agreement to Replace Ferguson at Manchester United Before Moyes Appointment

José Mourinho has revealed that he had reached an agreement to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager in 2013, only for the club to ultimately hand the role to David Moyes. The Portuguese coach made the stunning admission in a new documentary, lifting the lid on one of the most tantalising "what if" scenarios in modern Premier League history.

The revelation reframes the narrative around one of English football's most scrutinised managerial appointments. When Ferguson announced his retirement after 26 trophy-laden years at Old Trafford, the footballing world expected United to pursue the biggest name available. Instead, the club turned to the relatively unheralded Moyes, then at Everton, in a decision that would spark years of turbulence at the Theatre of Dreams.

Why It Matters

This disclosure matters because it confirms what many suspected at the time: Manchester United's hierarchy had the opportunity to appoint one of football's most decorated managers at the peak of his powers, yet chose a different path. The consequences of that decision continue to ripple through the club's recent history.

In 2013, Mourinho was coming off a La Liga title with Real Madrid and had already won the Champions League with both Porto and Inter Milan. He was, by almost any measure, the outstanding managerial candidate in world football. His track record of immediate success at every club he joined made him the obvious choice to maintain United's domestic dominance.

Instead, the club opted for continuity in the form of Moyes, whom Ferguson had personally endorsed as his successor. The Scot lasted just ten months before being sacked, winning only 27 of his 51 matches in charge. It marked the beginning of United's extended fall from grace, a period from which the club is still attempting to recover.

The irony, of course, is that Mourinho eventually did take charge at Old Trafford—but not until 2016, by which point both the manager and the club had changed. Three years of drift under Moyes and then Louis van Gaal meant Mourinho inherited a squad in transition rather than the champions Ferguson had left behind. The timing, it seems, was everything.

The Ferguson Succession: A Defining Moment for Modern United

Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in May 2013 represented the end of an era that had delivered 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League triumphs. The task of replacing him was always going to be monumental, but the manner in which United approached it has been questioned ever since.

Ferguson's influence over the appointment was significant. The legendary Scot had a close relationship with Moyes and saw in him the qualities needed to build something lasting at United. There was a romanticism to the choice—another Scottish manager, steeped in British football values, ready to continue the dynasty.

What that approach overlooked, however, was the immediate reality of elite football management. Mourinho's pedigree suggested he could have walked into Old Trafford and continued winning without missing a beat. His teams were built on defensive solidity, tactical discipline, and an unshakeable winning mentality—qualities that had served Ferguson well throughout his reign.

The decision to bypass Mourinho in favour of Moyes has long been attributed to concerns about the Portuguese's combustible nature and his tendency to create conflict at clubs. Chelsea's turbulent end to his first spell, and the fractious relationships at Real Madrid, may have given United's board pause. There was also Ferguson's well-documented wariness of managers who might overshadow the institution itself.

Yet Mourinho's revelation suggests these concerns were either overcome or never raised at the point of agreement. Something changed between that accord and the final decision, and the football world may never know precisely what transpired in those crucial weeks.

What Happens Next

For Mourinho, now managing Fenerbahçe in Turkey, this documentary appearance serves as both reflection and reputation management. At 62, the self-styled "Special One" remains as polarising as ever, but moments like this remind audiences of the near-misses and sliding doors that define football careers.

The documentary is likely to spark renewed debate about United's post-Ferguson era and the decisions that shaped it. Fans who have endured more than a decade of relative underperformance will inevitably wonder how differently things might have unfolded had Mourinho arrived in 2013 rather than 2016.

For Manchester United themselves, now under the ownership of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS group and with Ruben Amorim in the dugout, this is ancient history in practical terms but remains relevant as a cautionary tale. The club's struggles to find a long-term managerial solution—seven permanent managers since Ferguson—can be traced directly back to that first post-Ferguson appointment.

Mourinho's eventual tenure at United, from 2016 to 2018, brought a League Cup, an FA Community Shield, and a Europa League title, but ended in familiar acrimony. Whether arriving three years earlier would have changed that trajectory is impossible to know. What is clear is that United's hesitation in 2013 set in motion a chain of events that continues to define the club's modern identity.

As Mourinho himself might say, the football always finds a way of revealing the truth—even if it takes a decade to do so.