'I SIGNED A THREE-YEAR CONTRACT' - MOURINHO REFUSES TO BE DRAWN ON FUTURE PLANS

June 2019 is as far as the Special One will look ahead, while he insists that a Premier League title is not the only measure of success for his team

Jose Mourinho is looking to see out his current deal at Manchester United, but refuses to answer whether he will stay at Old Trafford long term. 

The Special One took over from Louis van Gaal at the start of the 2016-17 season, and led United to Europa League and League Cup titles in his maiden campaign. 

United have built on that promising start, sitting second in the Premier League behind Manchester City and on track to make the Champions League last 16. 

But Mourinho is not looking any further than the three-year deal he signed with the club, as he approaches the midway point of that agreement.

“I signed a three-year contract and when I signed that three-year contract it was basically to try and improve the direction of the football team,” he explained to the Mirror.

“And obviously when we want to improve the direction of the football team, it means to try and win titles which we did already last season.

“But when we speak about titles, everyone obviously thinks about the Premier League.”

United currently lag eight points behind their Manchester rivals, who have made an astounding unbeaten start to the Premier League season. 

And Mourinho admits that catching Pep Guardiola's charges and taking the title will be no easy task. 

“Of course [Premier League] is an objective but to say the only way we are improving is to win the Premier League is not quite fair because the other teams, the other five or six teams, have the same objectives, the same responsibility, the same tools, they have the same qualities to do it, or even more because they have the stability over the past three years," he said. 

Mourinho and United will be back in action after the international break on Saturday, when the Red Devils host Newcastle.