Jose Mourinho: 'I feel sorry for Sam Allardyce'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 28 September 2016

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho admits that he has sympathy for Sam Allardyce after he was forced to step down from his role as England boss.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has expressed sympathy for Sam Allardyce after he was forced to step down from his role as England boss following a media sting.

Allardyce was secretly filmed offering advice on how to get around Football Association rules on third-party ownership of players, which was ultimately enough to bring an end to his short time in charge of the national team.

Allardyce was also filmed making derogatory remarks about the FA and mocking predecessor Roy Hodgson, but Mourinho insists that his respect for the 61-year-old has not diminished.

"The only thing I can say is that I like Sam, I feel sorry for that because I know that it was the dream job," he told reporters.

"The second thing is what happened obviously is not going to interfere in any way with my relationship with him. I liked him and I respected him before and that is not going to change.

"The third thing is this is between him and the Football Association and I have nothing to say about it."

Allardyce, who won his only match in charge of England, is the nation's shortest-reigning full-time manager having lasted just 67 days.