Jose Mourinho has dismissed the notion of him as a modern-day Alan Partridge, living a solitary and miserable existence in a charmless hotel.
Partridge, the hapless local TV and radio anchorman created by Steve Coogan, was famously holed away in the Linton Travel Tavern, so bored he once dismantled his Corby trouser press, only to be unable to reassemble it.
The notion of Mourinho, who has lived in a penthouse suite at Salford’s Lowry Hotel since he took charge of Manchester United, as a modern-day Partridge, estranged from his family and unhappy with his lot, has gathered momentum in recent weeks.
Mourinho’s brooding demeanour has led to suggestions he is unhappy, but the 54-year-old said the five-star hotel suits his “lazy” lifestyle and argued his failure to buy a permanent home was not indicative of a lack of long-term commitment to the challenge at United.
“If the fans want me to be comfortable, that’s the way I feel comfortable,” said Mourinho.
“I’m very lazy, I like to arrive in the hotel and I don’t want anyone to worry, because I’m not living in a two square-metre room.
“I’m in an apartment where I have all the comfort and support, like living in a house.
“If they’re worried about me being comfortable and happy and supported, I really am.
“If they want me to be in a house that I don’t like, lonely, away from my assistants, then I would be a sad guy - and sad guys don’t work well.”
Mourinho is known to have been angered by the suggestion he has compromised on his professionalism by making frequent trips from Manchester to London, where his family still reside, while those who see him on a daily basis at the AON Training Complex say he is far more ebullient than his aloof public profile suggests.
Indeed, after he had completed his media duties yesterday, Mourinho was involved in an animated conversation about the validity of Eden Hazard’s controversial penalty award in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw at Arsenal, the United boss raising his foot to demonstrate his view on whether or not it was a legitimate spot-kick.
Mourinho is currently halfway through a three-year contract, with an option for a further year, but talks are already under way about extending his current deal and his £12million-a-year salary.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City may be 15 points clear and running away with the title, but that test seems to have served only to fuel Mourinho’s desire to stay at United until he has done all he can to make them champions again, maintaining a record he has held at every club.
Asked if United was his biggest challenge, in a glittering career that has seen him manage at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, Mourinho said: “If you ask me is it more difficult than others, I don’t know, I don’t want to say.
“Everything changes, the nature of the job changes too, but my dedication is total and I’m here to stay until the club thinks I should stay.
“The difference now between Chelsea and United is that I really belong to Chelsea’s history.
“I won three Premier Leagues, cups, I won lots of things - their first Premier League in 2004. I have a history there and here my history is someone who works hard every day.
“Here, we won the only competition the club had never won [the Europa League].
“Everyone knows the Europa League is not the Eldorado of football, but I’ve come here in a moment where it’s more difficult to make history.
“So people look at me as the Jose who came to Chelsea in 2004, was there two periods and champions in those two periods, so probably that history makes people connect me there more.
“But my past is Chelsea, my present is United and hopefully my future is United, too.
“It’s part of my job to create conditions. If a manager leaves a club one day even without big success, but creates conditions for the next one to have success, it’s an important part of the job. I’m trying to work also for the future of the club, not just myself.”