Roy Keane Admitted Admiration for Mourinho

Mourinho does have admirers inside the Premiership! And they're not always Chelsea fans, but also former rivals. Perhaps the most interesting praise on the Portuguese came from former Man U skipper, Roy Keane. The Irishman admitted, in a weekend interview, that Mourinho is one step ahead all Premiership coaches - Alex Ferguson included.

"A blind man could see that. And he has the edge at the moment. He plays games and I think they can have a big effect on his team and on the opposition. Do you remember when Chelsea played United at Stamford Bridge, end of last season, and there's two minutes to go in injury time, and he gets up and walks up to where the United lads are, and he's shaking Alex Ferguson's hand and the game is still going on?"

"Two years ago no-one would have done that to Alex Ferguson. That's what good managers thrive on, that kind of slight. People love to criticize Mourinho, but I like watching Chelsea. They're well organized; they know their jobs", said Keane in a Sunday Times interview.

The Irish midfielder - retired this summer - is now coaching Sunderland in the 1st Division. After taking the former Premiership side from the bottom of the table, Keane managed to lift his team 10 places into the 14th place. Sunderland is now only 7 points adrift leaders Cardiff in the overall standings.