22 September 2007, by Sean Gillen

Carvalho shock at Mourinho exit

“Mourinho best coach in the world” says compatriot

Chelsea’s Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho says he was shocked by the recent sudden departure of manager Jose Mourinho.

Carvalho worked with Mourinho at Porto and the two were reunited when the defender followed his boss to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2004. However, that relationship was brought to an end when Mourinho left the club on Thursday.

“For me there is no doubt, Jose Mourinho is the best coach in the world and I cannot believe that we have lost him,” Carvalho told the Daily Mail.

“I never thought he would leave Chelsea without finishing his work, without achieving everything he wanted to.

“This is the first time he has ever done this and it will be terrible for him. He loved Chelsea.

“It has come as an enormous surprise to all the players. In the past few weeks the coach was unhappy because of our bad results but we were all working together towards a solution.

“I will always be grateful to Mourinho for what he has done for my career," he added. "We all will. I feel the same as all the other players about this.

"It was the captain John Terry who called me after receiving a text message from Mourinho. It is hard to take.”

The Blues take on Premiership champions Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, under the guidance of new manager Avram Grant.