Mourinho succeeded Pellegrini as Real Madrid coach - and sparked friction between the pair when he questioned Pellegrini's decision to take the Malaga job.

The Portuguese said he would not move to a club like Malaga if he left the Bernabeu.

But he attempted to play down any suggestion of an on-going feud between the pair, while delivering another dig.

"I said I wouldn't go to Malaga because I wouldn't," said Mourinho.

"I'm in a situation where I can choose. Some people can't choose. If in this moment I decide to stop football, I stop football. It's just that. But no offence to him, or to Malaga."

      

Meanwhile, Mourinho insists he is not jealous of the strikers at Pellegrini's disposal - despite his own misfiring front men.

A Samuel Eto'o strike against Cardiff last weekend was the first Chelsea league goal to come from one of their three strikers, including Fernando Torres and Demba Ba.

Torres struck twice at Schalke midweek, but the Spain striker has scored just one league goal since the turn of the year.

By contrast, City trio Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo have claimed 11 of their side's 20 league goals so far.

Mourinho said: "I'm not envious of people. I'm not an envious person.

"I'm happy with all of them, all of the strikers. They were not scoring goals but they were working really hard. They were doing a good job for the team and their team-mates. There are different ways to contribute sometimes."