Valdano predicts great things from Jose

REAL MADRID general manager Jorge Valdano yesterday predicted coach Jose Mourinho would provide the club with “many glorious afternoons”.

Valdano and Mourinho have endured a fractious relationship since the Portuguese arrived at the Bernabeu last summer, with hostilities between the two at times barely concealed.

Mourinho, who has been linked with a return to England in recent weeks, demands more control than most coaches in Spain and that has necessitated Valdano taking a step back.