Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has praised long-term rival Arsene Wenger and insists that the outgoing Arsenal boss deserves huge respect for what he has achieved.
The 68-year-old is to leave the Emirates Stadium next month following 22 years in the hotseat, leading to numerous tributes from the footballing world.
Mourinho has been a fierce rival of Wenger's since arriving in English football with Chelsea in 2004, but the Portuguese insists that he has nothing but admiration for his opposite number, who he hopes to see prolong his career elsewhere.
"If he is happy, I am happy. If he is sad, I am sad. I always wish the best for my opponents. I always wish the best," he told reporters. "For me that is the point. If he is happy with the decision he made and looks forward to the next chapter of his career and his life, I am really happy for him.
"If he is sad, I am sad. I am pretty sure that we as a club - especially because Mr Wenger and Arsenal were for many, many years the biggest rivals of the Sir Alex [Ferguson] era - will show Mr Wenger the respect that he deserves."
When asked if he regrets past comments made about Wenger, Mourinho replied: "It is not about regretting. Your question is a typical question from somebody who is not on this side. You are not a manager, you are not a player of course. You do not know the way we respect each other even when sometimes it looks like in some moments we don't.
"Players that get red cards by aggressive actions against each other or bad words during their career and managers the same thing - in the end probably the ones that respect each other more are the ones that have the problems. It is power against power. It is quality against quality. It is ambition against ambition. But in the end it is people from the same business and people that respect each other and respect each other's careers.
"It is not about regretting. It happened. What matters for me is the way I respect the person, the professional and the career. I always say for some the memory is short but especially for us the real football people - the ones inside the four lines playing and the managers - we don't have short memories.
"I know what it means [to win] three Premier League titles, seven FA Cups and not just that. What he did in Japan and France, what he gave to Arsenal, even in a period without Premier Leagues, all the transition of the club from stadium to stadium - we know what he did. So again if he is happy with the decision I am really happy and I hope he does not retire from football."
Mourinho and Wenger will face off in a Premier League clash at Old Trafford on April 29.
Daniel Lewis
