Jose has eyes on finale in America

The Chelsea head coach, 44, is determined to take charge of Portugal before he leaves the game but a jaunt Stateside has also taken his fancy.

Scroll down to read more:

He is in the US with his team for pre-season training for the fourth year running and understands why Beckham has chosen to spend the next five years in Los Angeles.

Mourinho said: "He is at the end of his career as a player and at the end of my career as a coach in 20 years' time, I would love to come.

"The country is amazing and I think it is a big challenge to help soccer become more important in this country."

Beckham has been handed the task of elevating Major League Soccer towards a level comparable with European football and will play his first game for the LA Galaxy against Chelsea in a pre-season tournament next week.

Mourinho said: "If the objective is to try to bring up soccer in the US, they couldn't choose a better player for that.

"He is more than a player in the world of football. He brings a lot of attention. I believe Beckham coming will tempt other players here.

"He will improve the Galaxy team for sure, because he is better than the players they have.

"This is a sports country, that is for sure, but everybody knows that hand games are in front of foot games. The bat, the basketball, everything is in front for cultural reasons.

"It is a big challenge, but he is the best one to do it. European football will miss him."

The Blues begin their pre-season campaign with a friendly against Mexican giants Club America in northern California tomorrow night, the first of three friendlies in the US.

Mourinho plans for every member of his squad to play 45 minutes against Club America, which means a a run-out for contract rebel and Real Madrid target Arjen Robben and a debut for Florent Malouda.

The France international signed from Lyon in a £13.5million deal confirmed by Mourinho at a press conference in Los Angeles last night. The possibility of the two wingers playing in tandem is something that excites the Chelsea boss.

"We have competition almost in every position and I think that is very, very important," Mourinho said.

"I know that everybody is watching Florent and Robben in the same squad but you have to remember that, in my opinion, the best football we played in the last three years was when Robben and [Damien] Duff were playing together in the same team.

"So why can't Florent and Arjen play together?

"Yes, there is competition between them but yes, they can play together in the same team."