Jose Mourinho believes Real Madrid are ready and waiting to save him from his Manchester United misery.

The under-fire 55-year-old is aware of interest from Florentino Perez to take him back to the Santiago Bernabeu and is open to a return.

Mourinho left the Spanish giants five years ago but remains a favourite of the Real president, who is looking for a coach to revive their fortunes.

Perez is already onto his second appointment since Zinedine Zidane stepped down at the end of last season after Julen Lopetegui was sacked in October. His replacement Santiago Solari has been handed a two-and-a-half-year deal, but there are no guarantees he will remain beyond the end of the season.

Mourinho has publicly stated his desire to see out the remaining 18 months of his contract at United and even extend beyond 2020.

But he has made little secret of his frustrations with the club’s hierarchy after a disastrous summer in the transfer market and has become increasingly exasperated with a squad he has repeatedly turned on this season.

In Pictures | Man Utd squad arrive at hotel ahead of Arsenal clash 46 show all In Pictures | Man Utd squad arrive at hotel ahead of Arsenal clash 1/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 2/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 3/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 4/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 5/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 6/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 7/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 8/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 9/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 10/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 11/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 12/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 13/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 14/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 15/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 16/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 17/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 18/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 19/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 20/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 21/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 22/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 23/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 24/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 25/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 26/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 27/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 28/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 29/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 30/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 31/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 32/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 33/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 34/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 35/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 36/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 37/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 38/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 39/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 40/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 41/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 42/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 43/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 44/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 45/46 Eamonn and James Clarke 46/46 Eamonn and James Clarke

Ahead of Wednesday’s crunch game against Arsenal he was forced to address fresh claims of a fall out with his players, who he has accused of lacking heart and desire as United’s campaign has descended into crisis.

Although Mourinho is enduring a miserable run in his third season at Old Trafford, he is aware his stock remains high across Europe – particularly at Real, where he delivered the title ahead of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2012.

Sources say he knows Perez would jump at the chance to work with him again and is equally open to a second stint at the Bernabeu.

The question is how long he remains at United, who sit eight points adrift of Arsenal in fourth place.

Mourinho is not expected to walk away from any compensation package and believes it would cost United too much to sack him.

The club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward (above), meanwhile, is adamant the manager has the full support of the board. But with United languishing in seventh place, Mourinho is coming under mounting pressure to turn the season around.

The view from Madrid

"Mourinho’s tenure at Real Madrid will be remembered for the brutal battles against Barcelona and although there was some success for Real in stopping Pep Guardiola’s great team in their tracks, it came at a cost, with a defensive and often dangerously aggressive style of football, constant arguments with the media, fallouts in the dressing room and plenty of bad blood. "Perez knows all that and despite the many warning signs, he still wants to bring back the Portuguese. It is difficult to see how it could possibly end well."



Ben Hayward, Spanish Football Correspondent

As such, his comments on Tuesday - admitting his target of climbing into the top four before the end of the year might be beyond his team - will have set alarm bells ringing within the club.

United sacked David Moyes and Louis van Gaal after both failed to secure Champions League football. And they are in serious danger of missing out for a third time since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2018.

Mourinho faces a pivotal two weeks which see United face Arsenal and Liverpool before Christmas.

On Tuesday, Mourinho refused to deny latest tensions between him and Paul Pogba after claims he described the £89m man as a "virus" in the wake of Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Southampton.

In Pictures | The coaches who have turned down Real Madrid 7 show all In Pictures | The coaches who have turned down Real Madrid 1/7 Standard Sport runs through the coaches that have turned down the Real Madrid hot-seat since Zinedine Zidane resigned… AFP/Getty Images/Gerard Julien 2/7 Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham) Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I 3/7 Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool) EPA 4/7 Massimiliano Allegri (Juventus) AFP/Getty Images 5/7 Julian Nagelsmann (Hoffenheim) Bongarts/Getty Images 6/7 Antonio Conte (Chelsea/free agent) Ian MacNicol/Getty Images 7/7 Michael Laudrup (Al Rayyan) AFP/Getty Images/Nezar Balout

Facing questions over whether his squad are still playing for him, he said: “I still don’t understand that story. If you think a player only plays when, in your words, he is behind the manager, what I have to call these players or, in this case, what you are calling them, is dishonest.

“A football player is paid – and very well paid – to be a football professional. What is that? It is to train every day to his limits, to play every game to his limits, is to behave socially according to the nature of his job, is to respect the millions of fans around the world and to respect the hierarchy of the club.

Man Utd's Transfer Window shortlist 12 show all Man Utd's Transfer Window shortlist 1/12 The key targets on Man Utd’s transfer wishlist… Getty Images 2/12 Aaron Wan-Bissaka Right back, Crystal Palace



A long-term target – but United are well stocked at right back for next season with Ashley Young and Diogo Dalot. Getty images 3/12 Daniel James Winger, Swansea City



Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hopeful a deal for the Swansea winger will be agreed imminently - telling Ed Woodward he wants his summer business to be concluded by July 1.



It is believed the fee for the 21-year-old could rise to between £15-20million with add-ons. Getty Images 4/12 Sean Longstaff Midfielder, Newcastle United



Longstaff fits perfectly into United's new transfer strategy of building for the long term. Getty Images 5/12 Harry Maguire Centre back, Leicester City



Jose Mourinho targeted the Leicester City defender last summer as part of his desperate search for a top class centre back.



Now Ole Gunnar Solskjær could reignite that pursuit after being given the go ahead by Ed Woodward to pay a club record fee for a defender this summer. REUTERS/Phil Noble 6/12 Idrissa Gueye Defensive midfield, Everton



The Senegalese midfielder, who was the subject of a January bid from Paris Saint-Germain, is now being considered by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as replacement for Ander Herrera. Stu Forster/Getty Images 7/12 Jadon Sancho Winger, Borussia Dortmund



The England international and former Man City man has been identified as one of Man Utd’s top targets in the next transfer window, with a source claiming: “They are doing everything they can to sign him.”



And despite Dortmund’s public stance that he is not for sale at any price – a bid in excess of £80m is expected to be enough to lure him to Old Trafford. Bongarts/Getty Images 8/12 Declan Rice Defensive midfield, West Ham



Also being monitored by City, he could be the long-term successor to Nemanja Matic or even the Michael Carrick replacement United have been looking for. REUTERS 9/12 Callum Hudson-Odoi Winger, Chelsea



The Chelsea starlet could be an alternative to Sancho if Borussia Dortmund hold firm on their stance that Sancho is not for sale. PA 10/12 Bruno Fernandes Midfielder, Sporting Lisbon



Sporting Lisbon’s free-scoring midfielder could cost as much as £90m – but would add energy and goals to United’s engine room. AFP/Getty Images 11/12 Kalidou Koulibaly Centre back, Napoli



The long-term preferred choice at centre back – but Napoli have so far resisted United’s approaches for the Senegal defender. REUTERS 12/12 Raphael Varane Centre back, Real Madrid



United were prepared to spend £100m on the Real Madrid defender last summer and will monitor his situation at the Bernabeu amid suggestions he is ready for a new challenge. EPA

“If a player doesn’t do that, one thing is to perform well and not so well, another thing is to be a football professional. If you say that a player plays well or bad because of how good a manager is, you are calling the player dishonest.

“You shouldn’t go in that direction because you are calling the players dishonest. You believe a player scores in his own goal and then runs and celebrates ‘I scored in my own goal because I don’t like the manager’? Do you believe in that? I don’t believe in that.”

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