Jose Mourinho says he will not let his 'fights' with Pep Guardiola distract Manchester United from winning the Premier League title next season.
The former Real Madrid and Barcelona managers recommence their rivalry at the helms of United and Manchester City this summer.
But Mourinho, who also gave a glimpse into his £200million transfer plans, says focusing on the man that once called him 'the f***ing boss' could allow an outsider to take the title.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho arrived in Lisbon ahead of a football coaching lecture on Tuesday
Mourinho (right) was joined by his trusted lieutenant Rui Faria (left) for his trip to his native Portugal
Faria is expected to join Mourinho at Old Trafford after working as an assistant at Chelsea, Real and Inter
Mourinho (centre, pictured with Faria) walks into Lisbon University ahead of his lecture to students
Pep Guardiola, pictured celebrating Bayern Munich's title win, will take charge at Manchester City this summer
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City and United are ranked as Leicester City's most-likely successors by the bookmakers with both ready to invest heavily in their world-class managers this summer.
'My experience does not allow me to be naive,' Mourinho said. 'I was in Spain for two years, where the champion would be me or him.
'There, individual battles make more sense because they can affect the outcome (of the title race). If in the Premier League I were to focus on him and Manchester City and he were to focus on me and Manchester United, someone else would be champion.'
'The level of the Premier League is going to get better with the players and coaches who will come.
'Four champions in four years shows how competitive it is, and also says a lot about the television rights and its distribution, which will allow the growth of the league and all its teams.
'It is different to other leagues where the sharks will always be sharks.'
Mourinho and Guardiola will renew their rivalry in England next season after going head-to-head in La Liga
Manchester United boss Mourinho (right) was shown around the club's Carrington training base on Monday
United chief Ed Woodward (left) and ambassador Sir Bobby Charlton were on hand to give Mourinho a tour
Mourinho agreed a three-year contract at Old Trafford and will hold talks with Woodward over potential targets
Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Mario is a target for Mourinho as he bids to strengthen United's squad
Mourinho spent Tuesday speaking at Lisbon University's Faculty of Human Kinetics with assistant Rui Faria addressing 'high-performance football coaching' students in a post-graduation class.
The Portuguese manager had promising words for supporters of teams in his homeland, saying: 'I am not taking any players from here,' in his first public declaration on his transfer plans.
However Mourinho has already shown initial interest in Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Mario, as Sportsmail revealed last week.
Chelsea and Liverpool are also among the teams looking into signing the 23-year-old Portugal international.
Deschamps looks happy with his squad