‘You’d be lucky to work at Tesco!’ - Jose Mourinho’s savage rant at ex-Chelsea striker Carlton Cole that led to forward training like ‘prime Ibrahimovic’

The fiery Portuguese coach is famed for wearing his heart on his sleeve – with those at his disposal growing accustomed to receiving the hairdryer treatment. Cole found himself on the receiving end of Mourinho’s sharp tongue following a Premier League meeting with Liverpool in which he did not even take to the field.

Chelsea lost the game in question 4-0 – in what was a rare blot of Mourinho’s copybook during his time at Stamford Bridge – with there plenty to mull over after the game. Cole found himself in the firing line ahead of a training session that saw the Blues’ outspoken boss make it clear that he expected standards to improve.

Cole, who also represented West Ham in his playing career and earned seven caps for England, has told Jackmaate’s Happy Hour podcast: “I've sat down and I'm thinking ‘Here we go … someone's going to get the hair-dryer treatment'. But it was all about me! He was going to me ‘Listen Carlton, you're never gonna make it'. 'You’re not serious, all you care about is going out, you’d be lucky to be working in Tesco’s'. I was only 21 at the time, I was thinking ‘that’s a big drop.”

While Cole was left surprised at incurring Mourinho’s wrath, the desired response was achieved as he went on to star in the subsequent training session. He added: “I’ll tell you what. I went out to train I had the best training session of my life. I was like prime Ibrahimovic – just smashing balls, using my body, I was on top form!”