Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho regrets 'little negative episodes' with Arsene Wenger

Mourinho infamously labelled Wenger a 'voyeur' and a 'specialist in failure'

Mourinho and Wenger could come face to face for the last time (Getty)

Jose Mourinho has admitted to having regrets over his treatment of Arsène Wenger and has asked Manchester United supporters to show the outgoing Arsenal manager due respect.

The pair are likely to meet for the final time on English soil at Old Trafford this Sunday, marking the end of a bitter and tempestuous rivalry dating back more than a decade.

Mourinho infamously described Wenger as a “voyeur” in the autumn of 2005, a year into his first spell at Chelsea. Wenger, in response, called Mourinho “disconnected with reality”, “disrespectful” and “stupid”.

Tensions simmered between the two managers over the years that followed but reached boiling point once more when, in February 2014, Mourinho labelled his long-standing rival a “specialist in failure”.

The pair then came to physical blows on the touchline later that same year, during a 2-0 win for Mourinho’s Chelsea over Arsenal.

When Wenger announced that he would be stepping down from his role at Arsenal after 22 years last Friday, Mourinho paid respect to the three-time Premier League winner but turned down the opportunity to apologise for his past remarks.

Seven days later, however, the United manager expressed regret for how he has handled relations with Wenger over the years and suggested his Arsenal counterpart might feel the same.

“There are little things where it would be obviously better without them,” he said. “Some gestures, some words would be better without it.

“I feel better now without it, no doubts about it but again when I arrive in England, 2004, Arsenal was the champion and the famous Invincibles, and I arrive.

“For the next couple of years was with them, [Dennis] Bergkamp, Thierry [Henry], [Sol] Campbell, amazing team. So again thank you very much for that, they pushed us to the limits.

“The two matches we played not at the Emirates but at amazing old stadium [Highbury], unforgettable. We had big matches, big fights, so thank you so much for that.

“Regret? Little negative episodes, yes I do,” he added. “And probably he also does.”

Mourinho also called upon the Old Trafford crowd to pay respect to Wenger, who enjoyed a healthy rivalry with Sir Alex Ferguson’s United during the late 1990s and 2000s.

“I always feel the biggest rivals are our biggest friends because they’re the ones that pushed us to the limit,” he added.

“I think Manchester United fans know that until 2004, for about a decade, was between Manchester United and Arsenal, was between Sir Alex and Mr Wenger.

“I think that these great teams Arsenal had and the fight shoulder to shoulder with Manchester United made Manchester United better and better.

“I hope he has a good reaction. If not good, not bad at all, and from us club he is going to feel the respect we have.”