Manchester United made contact with new Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho only weeks before appointing David Moyes as manager, it has been revealed. The Sunday Express says contact was made with the Portuguese during the last few months of his Real Madrid reign once it was known Sir Alex Ferguson would be retiring as Old Trafford boss.

But Mourinho was reluctant to commit to the six-year contract that was on offer, leaving the path clear for the appointment of Everton boss Moyes.

It was also known that Mourinho still retained a strong affection for Chelsea and, with his relationship with owner Roman Abramovich healed, Stamford Bridge was his next likely port of call on his managerial tour of Europe.