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Jose Mourinho: War of words with Chelsea's Antonio Conte over for me

MANCHESTER -- Jose Mourinho has described Antonio Conte's reaction to their war of words as "funny" and suggested the Chelsea manager should apologise.

The Manchester United boss said he did not start the row with Conte and added that his comment that he does not need to "act like a clown on the touchline" had not been aimed at him.

Conte branded Mourinho "fake" and a "small man" as well as calling him "senile."

Mourinho hit back by referencing Conte's implication in a match fixing scandal.

But he said: "When I start I take the responsibilities of that, and I've started many times.

"When I don't start it's quite funny for me to see other people on the other side acting like victims when they're not the victims. But, really, I don't enjoy. That's why, for me, it's over."

Mourinho suggested Conte should be "man enough" to apologise in the same way the United boss had mended his relationship with Claudio Ranieri.

In 2008, Mourinho mocked Ranieri's failure to grasp of English during four years in charge of Chelsea.

He added: "Sometimes it's my fault. Sometimes it's other managers' fault. In my case, when I think it's my fault and I should behave in a different way I'm the first one to apologise, like I did with Ranieri when I had the chance.

"That's when our relations went from bad to good and from good to very good, because I was man enough to apologise."

United and Chelsea are due to meet at Old Trafford on Feb. 25, although the game will be moved if Chelsea progress to the Carabao Cup final.