David Beckham tells Talksport: 'I hope Jose Mourinho comes back to the Premier League as soon as possible'

David Beckham

David Beckham has told Talksport that he wants to see Jose Mourinho back in English football as ‘soon as possible’

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Mourinho has been out of the game since being sacked by Chelsea in December, just months after leading the club to the Premier League title.

He is being heavily linked with the Manchester United job, with current boss Louis van Gaal under severe pressure, and Beckham admits he is a big fan of the 45-year-old.

In an exclusive interview with Andy Goldstein and Jason Cundy on the Sports Bar, the United legend said: "Jose leaving Chelsea, who would have expected that after the season they had last year? It doesn’t make him a bad manager.  He is still one of the best managers and I hope he comes back to the Premier League as soon as possible.

“The Premier League is the Premier League for the great players we bring in, the great teams, the money, the fans and the great characters that we have as managers. You want to see managers like that in the game. “But while Beckham is an admirer of Mourinho, the former England captain insists he also has huge respect for current United boss Van Gaal.

The Dutchman appears to be a dead man walking at Old Trafford having overseen a disastrous season so far.

He could still things around at United, however, according to Beckham.

"He is an experienced manager with a great reputation in the game," he said.

"Sometimes it takes time. It is not easy being manager of Man United.

"We have to look at results, we have to look at the way we play, we have to listen to fans - the people that really matter at the club - and I only hear great things about him as a person, as a manager, as a coach.

"I have met him once before and he treated me unbelievably well. He is manager of Manchester United so there is always going to be criticism, but at the end of the season let's see what happens."

United are yet to win a major trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Beckham says it was always going to be a tough period of transition following the legendary Scot's glorious reign, but admits the club must start winning silverware again soon to maintain their reputation as a footballing superpower.

“As a Man United fan, I always hoped we wouldn’t go through a slump, but it was inevitable," added the 40-year-old, who won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League with United.

“When the manager left that was always going to be a massive thing, but you also lost players like Keaney, like Scholesy - and Giggsy has stopped playing. You have lost such great characters through the team. And David Gill stepped away from Manchester United. They are all integral parts of the club.

"We have had so much success over the last twenty years that if we don’t win something for one season or two seasons people talk about it being a crisis.

"Man United is Man United. It doesn’t matter if you love them or hate them, they are one of the biggest, if not the biggest, club in the world and you have to keep that reputation. The only way you can keep that reputation is by winning trophies."