The China Mail - Mourinho poised for Benfica return after Lage sacking

Benfica fired Lage following Tuesday's shock 3-2 Champions League home defeat by Azeri side Qarabag.

Mourinho, who lost his previous job with Fenerbahce last month, said Benfica reached out to him to gauge his interest in a return to the club with whom he started his head coaching career in 2000.

"Benfica officially asked me if I was interested... What coach says no to Benfica? Not me," Mourinho told reporters after landing in the Portuguese capital.

"When I was presented with the opportunity to coach Benfica, I didn't hesitate to say that I'm interested, that I'd like to."

Two-time European champions Benfica led 2-0 early on at home to Qarabag before collapsing in a disastrous start to their league-phase campaign.

Former Portugal midfielder Rui Costa, the club's president, announced ex-Wolves manager Lage's sacking after the final whistle.

Benfica beat Fenerbahce in the final round of Champions League qualifying, two days before Mourinho was sacked by the Istanbul giants.

"Now all I can do is wish good luck to whoever comes next," Lage said when he arrived at Benfica's training ground on Wednesday.

"I don't know if Mr Mourinho will be confirmed or not. The important thing is that he's a man who knows Benfica very well.

"Curiously he's faced this team three times and knows the squad well. He had said that I was a happy man because of all the options I had. He will certainly be an even happier man than me."

Mourinho is yet to be officially announced as Lage's successor.

Lage was already under pressure after his team dropped their first league points of the season away to Santa Clara at the weekend.

Costa said that Benfica expected to have their new coach in charge in time for Saturday's league encounter with AVS.

Mourinho's previous spell at Benfica lasted just 11 matches at the back end of 2000, but then, after impressing at Uniao de Leiria, he joined Porto and guided them to back-to-back league titles and the Champions League crown in 2004.

That set him on the path to a hugely successful career coaching Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid before his fortunes started to nose-dive after joining Manchester United in 2016.

Lage won the Portuguese Primeira Liga in 2019 in his first of two spells with Benfica, while last season he guided them to Portuguese Cup success.

N.Lo--ThChM