Straight talk: 'Special one' may return at United

Jose Mourinho is only just getting cosy in the Inter Milan hot seat. But former Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson believes the "Special One" who left Chelsea in bitter circumstances last season could well return to the Premiership in the near future – this time to take over the reins from Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.

I still think he [Mourinho] will come back to England one day. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him possibly as the next manager of Manchester United. Ron Atkinson, Former United Manager

Like the Portuguese tactician, Atkinson was also renowned for being a charismatic manager. And the 69-year-old Englishman, who appeared as a TV pundit on Showtime while on a visit to Dubai, told XPRESS: "I like Mourinho. I was a big fan of Mourinho. I still think he’ll come back to England one day. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him possibly as the next manager of Manchester United. I think that’s a very real possibility."

Atkinson coached the Red Devils prior to the club’s most successful era that would begin under Ferguson. Reflecting on his five-year spell from 1981 to ’86, a period in which United won two FA Cups, he said: "When I went to United, I think they had only won one cup in the previous 15 years.

"The West Bromwich Albion team I left was in fact a better team than the [United team] I went to.

"My first job was to make sure United were always in European competition which they had hardly been in since they won it in ’68. We did manage to do that and qualified for Europe every year."

Controversy

Atkinson enjoyed a distinguished reputation as being the first coach of an English first division side to regularly field three black players – Brendon Batson, Laurie Cunningham and Cyrille Regis – during his time as West Bromwich Albion manager.

Unfortunately he went from hero to villain four years ago for a racist comment on TV about Marcel Desailly, who was playing for Chelsea at the time, assuming the microphone to be switched off.

"It’s ironic I fell a victim myself, didn’t I?" he said. "My record speaks for itself. I don’t even get involved in it now. I just think everybody’s everybody.

"Those boys, apart from Laurie Cunningham who was killed, are still good friends of mine whom I still associate with quite a bit. The irony of it all is I’d flown over here originally to go to an Indian wedding."

Atkinson insisted that he has moved on from the infamous incident. "As far as I’m concerned, I don’t discuss that. I do different things now. I’m still very active and very busy," he said.