Real Madrid’s “dressing-room leaders” apparently “pushed to reject” Jose Mourinho‘s return as manager.
Mourinho was installed as one of the favourites to return to the club he spent three years at after Santiago Solari’s reign quickly turned sour.
The Argentinean was powerless as a broken Real fell out of La Liga contention, suffered a Copa del Rey exit and were knocked out of the Champions League in the space of a week.
Zinedine Zidane has taken the reins at the club he left in the summer after a third consecutive Champions League win, leaving unemployed Mourinho in the lurch.
Former Real president Ramon Calderon suggests that the Portuguese was deemed “a step backwards” by the club.
“The dressing-room leaders pushed to reject the possibility of Jose Mourinho,” he told Sky Sports.
“He left a lot of problems and I think he would have been another problem to the ones we already have if he had come.
“I think Jose Mourinho would have been a step backwards, there was a lot of problems and controversy when he was here.
“He is a good coach with a lot of trophies but many of the leaders in the dressing room didn’t like him and I think that was important in the decision-making.”
Calderon supported the appointment of Zidane on a three-year contract.
“The players loved him and he was able to change the ideas of coaches like Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho who managed with a strong hand,” he added.
“And of course he is an idol with the fans – playing for the club as well as managing them to three Champions League trophies in a row.”