Jose Mourinho refuses to deny he held phone talks with Zinedine Zidane amid growing pressure on his Man United future

JOSE Mourinho has reportedly held a phone conversation with Zinedine Zidane - but the Manchester United boss says otherwise.

Zinedine Zidane and Jose Mourinho.

JOSE MOURINHO has refused to deny Sun Sport’s exclusive story that he held a phone conversation with Zinedine Zidane - and even joked with the reporter about it.

We revealed this morning how Zidane had been in touch with the Manchester United boss to reassure him he was not plotting behind his back.

Mourinho, who looked to have been snubbed by Paul Pogba again at training today, was then asked about the topic in his press conference ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League clash with Valencia.

And the Portuguese boss jokingly tried to shrug off those suggestions by referring the question to our reporter Neil Custis, then crucially refused to deny a conversation had taken place between the pair.

Mourinho is under intense pressure at Old Trafford, with the club equalling their worst-ever start to a Premier League season following the 3-1 defeat at West Ham.

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Mourinho laughed off the comments that he'd spoken to Zidane.

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He also questioned the attitude of some of his underperforming United stars, with his trusted ally Nemanja Matic also reporting for media duty today.

He said: “I think some care more than others.

“After 20 years of football, I am still the kid that I was 20 years ago and I am still naive, but I still don’t believe that a player is not honest.

“There were big players in the past and I ask these people with great reputations if at any time in their careers they went to a game not to give the maximum, not to help the club, not to make the fans happy and not to try his best.”

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He added: “If somebody tells them ‘I was a football player and I didn’t give my best’ then I change my opinion.

“Until somebody who was a big professional player says he was a dishonest player, I will always believe the players.

“They do it, they don’t do it that’s a different story, but I repeat I am naive or I still believe the player is an honest man.”

Mourinho was then asked if he was worried about getting the sack, simply replying: “I don’t think so.”

He was later unimpressed when asked if he had spoken with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward about his future adding: “That’s a private matter. I’m not going to answer it.

“I’m not asking you who did you speak with yesterday or this morning, who was your last phone call, that’s a private matter.”

This story originally appeared in The Sun.

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Originally published as Jose Mourinho refuses to deny he held phone talks with Zinedine Zidane amid growing pressure on his Man United future