Jose Mourinho vows not to play mind games with Pep Guardiola

Mourinho to avoid Guardiola mind games

New Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has insisted that he will not get sucked into a rivalry with incoming Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

The two coaches had a fiery relationship during their times in La Liga, with Guardiola in charge of Barcelona and Mourinho guiding Real Madrid.

Manchester's clubs already have a tense rivalry, and it has been enhanced further by the arrivals of the two successful managers, but Mourinho has claimed that he will not be focusing on the opposing dugout.

"[Our rivalry] does not allow me to be innocent," Mourinho said while speaking at a lecture in Lisbon. "For​ two years Pep and I were in a league where the champion would be either me or him - Real Madrid or Barcelona.

"In a situation like this,​ individual fights make sense because they can influence things, [but] in the Premier League, if I focus on him and Manchester City, and he on me and Manchester United, someone else is going to win the league."

Mourinho signed a three-year contract to become United's new manager last week, replacing Louis van Gaal, who was sacked after two years in charge at Old Trafford.

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