Returning Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has shrugged off talk that forward Kylian Mbappé is a troublemaker and says he can take the France star to an even higher level.
Mourinho, 63, has followed former Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti by resurrecting his career at the very top having looked on the way down.
His re-appointment at the Bernabeu, where he won a La Liga title in his previous spell in charge 2010-13, was slowed down by a club presidential election. He is set to have a first press conference back at the club when pre-season training resumes in July.
Media reports about tensions between Madrid and Mbappé - currently starring at the World Cup - have abounded. But in what Vanity Fair said was his first interview since being named, Mourinho was keeping an open mind.
"I have to see with my own eyes. I need to understand things that in this moment, I don’t know. What I know in this moment is what I read in the media, what I watch on TV," the former Benfica boss said.
"The only thing I can say about Kylian Mbappé is that he's a phenomenal player, and I'm going to try to help him to be even better than this."
Mourinho was an assistant at Barcelona in the early days of his career but still feels immense affinity for Los Blancos despite an awkward parting in 2013.
"In the end, I don’t deny I love Real Madrid, and this is the reason I’m going back," he said.
"But I don't have bad feelings in relation to Barcelona at all. I just enjoy playing against them because in football, you enjoy playing against the best. The best push you to be better than you are."
Mourinho also defended his record in his first stint, which coincided with Pep Guardiola's epic Barcelona team.
"Barcelona is seen as the team that plays amazing football. Barcelona is seen as the team that scores a lot of goals. But this is a big contradiction," the twice Champions League winner with Porto and Inter Milan added.
"The team that scored [the most] goals in the history of Spanish football was my Real Madrid in 2011-12, with 121 goals and 100 points in one season. How defensive was that team?"
