Jose Mourinho hinted he may be tempted to manage Celtic or Rangers in the future, suggesting the “league of passion” could lure him to Scotland.

Mourinho’s Fenerbahce host Rangers in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday.

Barry Ferguson will lead Gers in Turkey, having taken over the reins for the remainder of the season following the dismissal of Philippe Clement, with the club 16 points adrift of Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic.

Mourinho won three Premier League titles with Chelsea during his time in England, while he also had two-year spells with Manchester United and Tottenham.

The Portuguese was asked about a potential return to the UK, with the Rangers vacancy yet to be filled, and he refused to rule out the possibility.

“Why not in the future?” he said to reporters during his pre-match press conference. “People say that the Scottish league is a league of two teams, but it is a league of passion, and passion in football is everything for me.

“To play in empty stadiums or where there is not that fire or the passion – for me, that does not make any sense. Celtic and Rangers are big clubs with big fanbases, big emotions, big responsibilities and big expectations, so why not?”

Preparations for the Rangers clash have begun!#UEL #FBvRFC pic.twitter.com/A5GGkuRWN3

— Fenerbahçe English (@Fenerbahce_EN) March 4, 2025