Jose Mourinho hopes to cross swords with Arsene Wenger again after his Manchester United side condemned the Frenchman to a galling defeat on his last visit to Old Trafford as Arsenal boss, Independent.ie reports.
Wenger’s long and storied rivalry with United looked to be ending with a point apiece after former Red Devil Henrikh Mkhitaryan cancelled out Paul Pogba’s opener.
That would have represented a minor triumph given the much-changed and inexperienced Gunners XI he sent out, with more than half an eye on Thursday’s Europa League clash with Atletico Madrid.
But there was a sting in the tail, Marouane Fellaini climbing off the bench and flicking home a match-winning header in stoppage time.
Mourinho has had plenty of his own tussles with Wenger over the years but on a day where United paid generous tribute to him through Sir Alex Ferguson’s pre-match presentation, their current boss held out hope of further battles beyond Arsenal.
“I hope that I play against him again, I hope that can happen,” he said.
“If not in the Premier League, who knows, we still have a big match waiting for us.”
Wenger played down the prospect in the immediate future due to his apparent uncertainty over his next destination and – mischievously – Mourinho’s.
“I don’t know if honestly, first of all, he will be at Manchester United next year, certainly,” he said.
“I don’t know where I will be. At the moment I am in a bit of unknown territory, I don’t know where I go from here or do I take a break? I would be surprised if I meet him next year.”
Wenger would be forgiven for indulging a little nostalgia as he revisited the scene of so many past skirmishes, triumphs and travails but even on a day where he received a pre-match presentation from Sir Alex Ferguson and an unusually cordial welcome from the home support, he stayed focused on the outcome.