Mourinho Rules Himself Out of Running for England Job

Jose Mourinho has ruled himself out of the running for the England job. The former Chelsea boss confirmed he had been in talks with the FA's Brian Barwick and Sir Trevor Brooking but has decided he does not want to be named Steve McClaren's successor, with all the signs indicating that he would rather wait to be given the job of managing one of Europe's top clubs.

"After Steve McClaren left the England football team, my representatives maintained contact with the FA," he said in a statement issued on his agent, Jorge Medes' website. "In that sense, I had myself useful discussions with Brian Barwick and Trevor where we exchanged ideas to evaluate the entire situation about the England squad and set the goals in case of real invitation being addressed to me.

"After deep and serious thinking, I decided to exclude myself from being England manager despite it being a fantastic position for me. I'm sure FA will hire a great manager, one able to place the team back where it belongs. I reiterate my respect for English football and, after three good years in England, I firmly believe that the England squad will soon be back to their usual great results."

With England fans' favorite Mourinho no longer a contender to succeed Steve McClaren as England manager, Martin O'Neill, Marcello Lippi, Fabio Capello and Jurgen Klinsmann are among the favorites for the top job.