Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho claims to have cleared the air with Chelsea counterpart Antonio Conte, with the pair set to be reunited in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
Two passionate characters have become embroiled in a war of words this season, with there seemingly no love lost between two men prepared to speak their mind.
A coaching feud came to a head in January when Mourinho branded Conte “a clown” and “a fake”, with the Italian hitting back by labelling the Portuguese “a little man”.
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There was, however, to be a handshake between the two prior to United’s 2-1 victory at Old Trafford on February 25 and post-match discussions behind the scenes.
Mourinho considers that to be the end of petty bickering, telling Record ahead of another tactical battle with Conte at Wembley Stadium: “He stretched out, I stretched. We got bored.
“After the game in Manchester I invited him to come to my office. We talked, nothing’s wrong. It’s OK.”
While Mourinho will be in the opposite dugout to Conte this weekend, he will have Rui Faria alongside him.
A long-serving assistant is set to step down from his post after the FA Cup final, bringing to an end a productive 17-year working relationship which has delivered countless major honours.
Mourinho has suggested that Michael Carrick, who is retiring this summer, will eventually step up into the role, but for now he is looking to bring in a familiar face alongside him.
“There comes a person who worked with me earlier but I can’t say the name because it’s still tied to another club,” he said.
“Michael Carrick will be a coach but I’m looking for two new people. There are many good coaches.”