
Jose
Mourinho called an end to the war of words between himself and Antonio Conte
after saying he "hurt" the Chelsea manager.
The two managers have been embroiled in a spat since Mourinho accused some
Premier League bosses of acting like 'clowns' on the touchline, which led to
Conte to suggest that Mourinho had forgotten some of his own previous
behaviour.
Mourinho then appeared to reference a ban Conte served for failing to report
match-fixing - he was later exonerated - after which the Italian called
Mourinho a "little man" and a "fake".
However, the Portuguese sought to end the conflict, saying: "The first time
he insulted me I had a response that touched a point where I know he really
feels hurt.
"Then he insulted me for a second time but now I change. Now contempt. For
me contempt means end of the story."
While Mourinho signalled he wanted to put an end to the feud with Conte, he
was willing to shed some light on Zlatan Ibrahimovic's fitness.
The 36-year-old hasn't featured since December and Mourinho confirmed he was
set for several more weeks on the sidelines.
He said: "Zlatan is injured. Or not totally happy with his condition. He
consulted our doctors and made the decision to stop.
"The date for him to be back training with the team was around the end of
January and beginning of February."