Manchester United: Sir Alex Ferguson thinks Jose Mourinho should not have returned to Chelsea

The 74-year-old Scot has backed Mourinho to be at success at Old Trafford

Mourinho and Ferguson greet each other prior to the 2007 Community Shield (Getty)

Jose Mourinho, Manchester United’s new manager, should never have returned to former club Chelsea for a second spell, according to Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Portuguese was sacked by the west London club last December, despite having won the Premier League title earlier that year, after a dreadful start to the 2015/16 campaign.

Mourinho, who won two league titles with Chelsea during his first spell at the club between 2004 and 2007, had returned to the Stamford Bridge helm in 2013.

“I thought Jose was wrong to go back to Chelsea, I really do,” said Ferguson, the most successful manager in United’s history. “I think it’s always difficult going back somewhere for the second time.”

The 74-year-old does, however, believe that Mourinho has the right credentials to be a success at Old Trafford and end the club’s three-year wait for a league title.

“But ability, charisma, personality, success he’s had, won the European Cup twice with different clubs, won the Europa with Porto, league titles with all the teams he’s played for [managed].

“His record, you can’t ignore that. I think that Manchester United’s the right kind of club for him, I really do. I think we’ll do well,” he added.

United have underachieved since Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, with successors David Moyes and Louis van Gaal managing just one major trophy between them.

Mourinho, who was officially unveiled as the club’s new manager on Tuesday, has a proven track record of success in England, with one FA Cup and three League Cup wins complementing his three league titles.