Mourinho once tried to sign 'Fat Boy' Rooney for Madrid and Chelsea

goal.com

The Portuguese has been criticised for failing to drop his captain at Manchester United, and his long-standing admiration for the 30-year-old has been revealed. Jose Mourinho tried to sign Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney – a player he affectionally refers to as the 'Fat Boy' – while he was manager at Real Madrid and Chelsea.

It was revealed in a forthcoming book, 'Jose Mourinho: Up Close and Personal' by Rob Beasley, that the Red Devils boss had attempted to sign his current captain several times. Mourinho had tried to lure Rooney to Madrid in October 2010, when the England star had pulled out of contract talks with United, though he eventually relented and penned a new five-year deal at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese then tried to exploit reported tension between ex-United coach David Moyes and Rooney by making another attempt – this time as Chelsea boss – in the summer of 2013.

And Beasley recalls a hilarious exchange between himself, Mourinho and his son Josh at the club's pre-season camp in the United States, as the Blues readied a £30 million bid. "Jose's opening line was a corker: 'What do you think of us trying to sign the Fat Boy [Rooney]?'" wrote Beasly. "Josh was caught out for a second and didn't cotton on to the 'Fat Boy' joke at first. I started laughing and told him: 'He means Rooney — the Fat Boy is Rooney.'"

Mourinho, who once allegedly threatened to "break" the face of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, has lately been criticised for failing to drop the under-performing England captain from United's starting XI following three straight losses.