Mourinho has long been touted as a potential successor to Ferguson when he finally leaves Old Trafford.

Mourinho told CNN: "No, the perfect scenario when I go there is to coach, because I think football will lose a lot when he stops and there are not young managers and old managers.

"For me, he's the boss. I call him the boss because he's the boss of the coaches and I hope that when I go back to English football he still manages Man United."