Sam Allardyce: Manchester United Manager Jose Mourinho 'Sorry' for Ex-England Boss

Jose Mourinho, left, with Sam Allardyce.
Jose Mourinho, left, with Sam Allardyce at the Boleyn Ground, London, March 4. Mourinho has expressed sympathy for Allardyce, who lost his England manager's job on Tuesday. Paul Gilham/Getty

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho admits he feels sorry for ex-England boss Sam Allardyce.

Allardyce left English football's top job on Tuesday after just 67 days in charge, following a sting in the Daily Telegraph that showed him explaining how to circumvent the Football Association's (FA) rules on third-party transfers.

In a press conference before United's game against Zorya Luhansk in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday at Old Trafford, Mourinho expressed his sympathy for Allardyce, who had just overseen one game in charge of England, a 1-0 win over Slovakia in Trnava on September 4.

"The only thing I can say is that I like Sam, I feel sorry for that because I know that was a dream job," Mourinho said.

"I feel very sorry for it. The second thing is what happened obviously is not going to interfere in any way my relationship with him.

"I like him and I respected him before and that isn't going to change. This is between him and the FA. I have nothing to say."

Allardyce's position became untenable following a day of talks with the FA, which said in a statement that the former Sunderland boss' conduct had been "inappropriate of the England manager."

Gareth Southgate, the England Under-21 manager, has been put in temporary charge of the senior side for the games against Malta, Slovenia, Scotland and Spain.

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