The Special One was unsuccessful in luring the 28-year-old Wayne Rooney to Stamford Bridge last summer, and had to ultimately settle for Samuel Eto’o who has struggled to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League so far.

Rooney had initially claimed he wanted to leave the Theatre of Dreams but was convinced his future lies in Manchester by new manager David Moyes, who had given him the chance to shine on the big stage as a 16-year-old teenage wonder kid at Everton.

The prolific forward has easily been United’s best player so far this season and, with only 18 months left on his contract, United are keen to begin contract negotiations with him in order to persuade him to commit his future to the club.

Chelsea were reportedly willing to test the waters once again with a bid for Rooney, but Mourinho has ruled it out after claiming that United will not sell to a direct rival. He also said that they might consider selling Rooney abroad if he doesn’t commit to a new deal at Old Trafford.

According to Yahoo! Eurosport, he said, “Man United made it clear in the summer they don’t swap or sell players to their direct rivals. They were clear in the way they approached the Rooney situation. For them, it’s pretty clear. They don’t swap. They don’t sell. I think maybe this summer they will try to sell to a non-direct rival. But they were very clear.”