‘I’m not in a destructive mood’ – Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger brushes off claims Jose Mourinho once threatened to ‘break his face’

Arsene Wenger says he has no interest in claims Jose Mourinho once said he wanted to “break his face”.

The Arsenal boss regularly clashed with Mourinho when the self-styled Special One was in charge of Chelsea and Wenger once shoved his rival on the touchline during a game in 2014.

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Mourinho, now in charge of Manchester United, has never hidden his dislike of the Frenchman - once branding him a 'specialist in failure'.

And, according to a new book which is being serialised in the Daily Mail, Jose Mourinho: Up Close and Personal, the Portuguese's hatred of his rival ran so deep that he once threatened to fight him.

Mourinho is reported to have told journalist Rob Beasley, who wrote the book, in 2014: "I will find him one day outside a football pitch and I will break his face."

That reported quote was put to Wenger at a press conference on Friday ahead of Arsenal's meeting with Mouringho's former club Chelsea on Saturday.

But Wenger was in mood to discuss it, insisting he would only talk about football matters.

“Look, I haven’t read the book and I certainly won’t read it,” said Wenger. “I cannot comment on that. I talk about football and that’s all I do.

"I’m not in a destructive mode, ever. I’m more constructive and I cannot comment on that because I’m focused on tomorrow’s game and how we want to play football.

“What is amazing is that has nothing to do with our game tomorrow. I personally am just focused on doing my job well and respecting everybody else.

“I do not want to especially comment because we play Chelsea tomorrow. I have no personal problem with anybody, I respect everybody in our game and I don’t feel I comment a lot on other teams.

"Sometimes I just say what I think, but that is part of the way I am.”