Jose Mourinho is long past his prime but ex-Man Utd boss was like Robert De Niro in his pre-match press conference

FRANK SINATRA ne'er did execute successful a crowded hut by the tradesman’s entranceway of a shot grooming crushed successful Istanbul.

And Robert De Niro ne'er fielded questions astir the lack of a fit, recognised left-back for the fourth-best squad successful the Turkish Super Lig.

But had they ever done so, it would person gone thing similar this. An assemblage with Jose Mourinho ne'er grows old.

Even present that his vagabond shoes person strayed each the mode to this outbuilding astatine Fenerbahce’s Can Bartu grooming complex.

As a coach, helium whitethorn beryllium past his prime. Indeed, helium claims helium wasn’t adjacent 1 of the 10 candidates spoken to by the FA to win Gareth Southgate arsenic England manager.

But arsenic a media operator, Mourinho is Ol’ Blue Eyes, he’s Bobby De Niro.

He’s a song-and-dance antheral and a box-office sensation. He’s the manager the Premier League craves due to the fact that of his charisma, his take-downs, his mindgames and his wisecracks.

Just not his football.

Here helium was, simultaneously spitting poison astatine Turkish journalists, who person been captious of his underwhelming commencement arsenic Fenerbahce boss, portion greeting the English property battalion arsenic if we were lifelong friends who’d ne'er had a atrocious connection to accidental astir him.

Which, judge me, was ne'er the case.

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Tonight, Mourinho goes caput to caput with his erstwhile nine Manchester United successful a gathering of 2 once-great footballing institutions.

Between them, United and Mourinho won 16 of the archetypal 21 Premier League titles, arsenic good arsenic 4 European Cups during that aforesaid era.

Both are present faded and successful exile — Mourinho connected the Asian broadside of this chaotic, sprawling, metropolis and United successful the bottommost fractional of the table, a satellite distant from the elite.

A decennary ago, some would person scoffed astatine the thought of second-tier Thursday nighttime football.

Yet present they are. Still, Mourinho, the aged rascal with the glint successful his eye, was shaking hands, slapping backs and throwing signed Fenerbahce shirts to a mates of English journalists.

He’d work a paper communicative which claimed helium had been ordering the same room-service repast each nighttime successful his Istanbul edifice suite — chickenhearted soup, margarita pizza and crystal cream.

“You English guys cognize wherever I live,” helium giggled, “you cognize what I eat. Come circular and marque yourselves astatine home. I’m staying present astatine the grooming crushed tonight, truthful does anyone request a country for the night?”

Mourinho saved his champion jibe for Manchester City and his aged El Clasico sparring spouse Pep Guardiola — claiming helium could yet triumph a rubric with United if City — who look 115 Premier League charges of fiscal wrongdoing — are stripped of their 2017-18 crown, erstwhile his Red Devils were runners up.

Mourinho, wary of motivating tonight’s opponents excessively much, was selective successful his disapproval of United brag Erik 10 Hag.

He simply stated United’s ‘potential was acold higher than their results’ and noted the Old Trafford committee had shown much patience with Ten Hag than they did with him.

There was besides the assertion that United and different of his erstwhile clubs, Spurs, should beryllium the 2 wide favourites to triumph the Europa League — fixed that the Premier League was ‘far superior successful presumption of quality, strength and finance’ than immoderate different league.

While claiming that helium wishes United good and believes ‘they volition win sooner oregon later, hopefully sooner earlier 1 time I spell backmost to the Premier League’, Mourinho suggested it was a substance of ‘when’ not ‘if’ helium returns to England. But is that so?

He is already being criticised for antagonistic shot here, Fenerbahce mislaid their archetypal large derby, 3-1 astatine location to leaders Galatasaray and were beaten successful a Champions League play-off against Lille to extremity up successful the Thursday nighttime club.

Yet inactive Mourinho possesses the capableness to fascinate. Still, owners of Premier League nine clubs, who should astir apt cognize better, volition stay intrigued.

When I asked astir United’s determination to terminate Sir Alex Ferguson’s £2million-per-year relation arsenic a nine ambassador, Mourinho was keen to plug a documentary astir his beingness to beryllium screened connected Netflix adjacent year.

He said: “My narration with Sir Alex was amazing, incredible, erstwhile my Netflix documentary comes retired you volition cognize much astir the reasons I person truthful overmuch respect for him. The ambassadorial role, I don't cognize that situation. It doesn’t matter.

“Sir Alex has the astir important thing: the emotion and respect of each Manchester United instrumentality astir the world. That is much important than a fewer much pounds helium doesn’t need.”

It was precise antithetic erstwhile questions arrived from the Turkish media.

Told that Fenerbahce were playing astatine a slower gait than past season, his effect was simply: “That is your sentiment and I respect it.” A enactment delivered with astir arsenic overmuch respect arsenic a cobra spitting venom from its fangs.

There were sarcastic swipes astatine TV pundits ‘the specialists person each the answers’. If they told Jose to play his misfiring attacking midfielder Sebastian Szymanski astatine left-back past possibly he’d bash truthful to debar criticism.

When a TV newsman asked a perfectly-reasonable question, helium was fixed a lecture astir the request to halt showing endless replays of a ‘non-penalty’ incidental involving Sofyan Amrabat, who volition play contiguous alongside a chap erstwhile United midfielder, Fred.

That was the modern-day world of Mourinho’s vocation — an statement implicit the usage of TV footage successful Turkish home football.

A spat helium could ne'er person imagined having erstwhile winning titles astatine Chelsea, Champions Leagues with Porto and Inter Milan oregon ruling the roost astatine the 2 astir celebrated clubs connected Earth, United and Real Madrid.

Yet astatine 61, thing inactive motivates him to support going.

Perhaps the imaginable of returning to the Premier League — wherever property conferences present thin to beryllium interminably dull and the full soap opera is simply a request of a large brooding, anti-hero.

For now, helium performs successful a hut by the tradesman’s entranceway and eats margarita pizza successful his room.

But 1 time helium thinks he’ll beryllium backmost successful the agleam lights. Like Sinatra, he’ll ne'er genuinely retire.