"Samuel Eto’o has no reason to be upset" - Mourinho

José Mourinho has insisted that his comments about Samuel Eto’o were “not serious”, adding that the Chelsea striker has “no reasons to be upset”.

The Blues manager was recorded by French television company Canal Plus during what he presumed was a private conversation with the owner of Swiss watch manufacturer Hublot on Monday.

Mourinho joked that he was a manager of a team with no strikers before questioning the age of 32-year-old Blues forward Eto’o ahead of their Champions League last-16 first-leg clash against Galatasaray.

And at his pre-match media conference on Tuesday, Mourinho stressed that Eto’o has no reason to be upset despite his remarks about the Cameroonian’s age, whilst also speaking of his respect for the “four-time European champion”.

“It is not [a comment] I would do in a serious way or in an official way [in an interview],” Mourinho said.

“First of all, because I don’t make fun and secondly, because there are managers in the world that really defend their players and I’m obviously one of them.

“Thirdly, Samuel Eto’o is Samuel Eto’o. Eto’o is four times Champions League winner. It was with him that I had the best-ever season of my career.”

Mourinho continued: “He is one of the few players who is working with me in a second club and a manager doesn’t do that when he doesn’t like the player or the person.

“He has no reason to be upset because he said a few years ago that Mourinho is the only manager in the world that he wouldn’t play for. After one year, he played for me at Inter and a few years later he is playing at Chelsea.”

The 51-year-old reiterated that there is no story to report regarding his comments, whilst slamming the journalist who recorded the private conversation.

“There is no story,” Mourinho added. “I repeat, it was a funny conversation with somebody who doesn’t belong to the football world. We were laughing. I think it is a disgrace that someone recorded a private conversation.”