'The Premier League is better with Jose!' - Nemanja Matic eager to see 'box-office' Mourinho return to England as ex-Chelsea & Man Utd boss continues to court controversy at Fenerbahce

Matic, who played under Mourinho at Chelsea and Manchester during his time in the Premier League, spoke highly of the Portuguese manager as the midfielder revealed that he wants the 61-year-old to return to England. Mourinho, who has won several titles in England, including three Premier League trophies, last managed Tottenham Hotspur in 2021.

Speaking to The Athletic, the Lyon star said: "He was the Special One. He has something different to other people and such a strong connection with the players. I can’t explain him in one answer, I’d need to make a full movie talking about him. I have so many stories about him."

Matic then narrated an incident about the veteran coach as he said: "Well, this isn’t good for me, but we were playing against a team lower in the table at home and it was 0-0 at half time. We were playing badly. He came into the dressing room and started looking around. Instinct told me that he was searching for me. He was. I can’t repeat what he said, it is not fit to repeat. But at the same time, I knew that he wanted the best from me.

"I knew him well and what he wanted. If you don’t know him well, then you can have a big problem with him. I felt that he liked me and respected me. The feeling was mutual and if you had good results, life was perfect. He’d give you as many days off as you wanted, but you had to give him back on the pitch."

Mourinho has been at the centre of several controversies ever since he joined Turkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce. He was recently handed a three-game suspension for pinching the nose of Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk.

Speaking on the manager's controversial nature, Matic added: "He makes headlines wherever he goes and football without him is not the same; the Premier League is better with Jose in it. He’s exactly what the league is missing; some club needs to sign him. He’s box-office."

The midfielder is all set to face his former club, United, in the first leg of Lyon's Champions League quarter-final clash at home on Thursday.