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Former Real Madrid player Aitor Karanka delivered a cryptic response on a potential return to the capital club for José Mourinho. The Spaniard shares an excellent bond with Mourinho, whom he worked with at Real Madrid.
Karanka was recruited straight from the Spain U-16 level to Mourinho's assistant upon the Portuguese's arrival in Madrid.
'There was a possibility of Mourinho returning to Real Madrid'
Speaking to Cadena SER, Karanka said that there was a real possibility of a Santiago Bernabéu return for José Mourinho. He said,
“I do not know if Mourinho will return to Madrid, not too long ago there was still a possibility."
He adds that Mourinho had a splendid time with Real Madrid and said,
"In football, you never know. What cannot be forgotten is how great a coach he is and Madrid will always look for good coaches."
Yesterday marked the tenth anniversary of Mourinho's unveiling as the new head coach of Real Madrid. Karanka spoke about the legendary manager's time at the club. The Spaniard revealed that he hadn't met Mourinho in person when he was told that Mourinho wants him as an assistant. However, he was convinced of Mourinho's vision after the first conversation that they had. He said,
"When they told me that he wanted him to be his assistant, I had not seen him physically before. The first conversation was enough to make everything clear.
The current Tottenham Hotspur coach was given a glowing recommendation of Karanka from another former Real Madrid player Predrag Mijatović.
"He (José Mourinho) asked Pedja Mijatovic, who spoke highly of me because our relationship is fantastic and helped me a lot as a player."
The former Real Madrid defender spoke highly of his former boss' character, saying that he was a multi-faceted person. Karanka continued,
"Mourinho as a coach was very demanding, he made us all alert. Then he had that human part, that people don't know of. After ten years I can say that we have an excellent relationship."
This is not the first time that Karanka has heaped praise on the former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United boss. During the Spaniard's time as head coach of Nottingham Forest, he spoke of his admiration for Mourinho and what particular facet impresses him the most. Karanka commented,
"His honesty. With him, I clearly saw that it's better to face a player, to say things as you see them. Other coaches promise things that they then don't fulfil or create expectations that never come to pass."
The future of Real Madrid's head coach job was up in the air after Zinedine Zidane's 2018 departure. Then-Spain coach Julen Lopetegui was announced as the Frenchman's successor but subsequently lost his national team post. The Spanish football authorities weren't happy with this news being released on the eve of the World Cup 2018 opener.
However, the Spaniard's time as head coach was short-lived as Real Madrid replaced him with Santiago Solari in the first half of their season. Zidane's return helped Real Madrid stabilize matters, and he is now set to oversee Real Madrid's squad overhaul.
