Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had some warm words for the new Barcelona manager at the UEFA Coaches Forum, after working with him many years ago: "I have great affection and admiration for Luis Enrique. I hope things go really well for him."

Mourinho: "I have great affection and admiration for Luis Enrique"

"It's the first time I've seen him since I left Barça. I asked him if he is enjoying being a manager, and he says he is", remarked the Portuguese coach.

"He was one of my favourites from the time I was at Barcelona, not just as a player, but as a person as well. He was the right-back, the left-back, the winger, the centre forward, the number 10, and if they'd needed him to be, the goalkeeper too", he went on to say.

As for Fernando Torres, he said, "He is a wonderful kid and a fantastic professional. The team and I will miss him, but he needed a change. I'm an Inter fan and would have preferred to see him at Inter, but I hope he does a great job for Milan."

Regarding Fàbregas' superb start, he remarked, "I'm not surprised, because he didn't need to adapt. He's already played in the Premiership for years. He was absolutely delighted when he decided to move to Chelsea".

marca.com