Jose Mourinho has admitted that there is little he can do to stop supporters of former club Chelsea from disliking him now that he is in charge of rivals Manchester United.
The 55-year-old, who won three Premier League titles during his two spells at Stamford Bridge, is now out to kill off the Blues' last hope of silverware in Saturday's FA Cup final at Wembley.
Chelsea fans serenaded Mourinho with derogatory chants last season, which the Special One responded to by pointing out that he is the club's most successful manager, and he does not expect their opinion of him to change.
"If they hate me, if they don't respect me, then I cannot control it," he told reporters at his pre-match press conference. "There will not be any negativity from me about them, not one word.
"The only thing I say in relation to Chelsea is that since my first day in 2004 until my last day - when I was sacked a couple of years ago - they were with me unconditionally.
"They supported me every day, they supported me very much. And even when I was sacked in 2007, I will never forget because they did what great supporters do and they supported me unconditionally.
"When we played at home in the Champions League against Dynamo Kiev, people were talking about me being sacked. I could hear the whole stadium singing my name, even though the results were not good. This I will not forget because they were just phenomenal."
Mourinho is appearing in his sixth major domestic final in English football, having won five of those previous encounters.
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