Mourinho laughs off Reds link

Mourinho: Liverpool 'impossible'

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• Inter Milan
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Jose Mourinho has rubbished speculation suggesting he could replace Rafa Benitez at Liverpool.

Benitez has come under pressure following a dismal run of four straight defeats in all competitions that has hit their hopes of domestic and European success.

The Reds boss has insisted he feels safe in his job despite the poor results after receiving words of support from co-owner George Gillett.

There has still been plenty of conjecture about Benitez's future and several names have been mentioned in the media in connection with the club.

Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho was quizzed on the subject during his pre-match press conference ahead of the Serie A clash with Catania.

But he closed the door on a possible return to the Premier League at the current time, saying simply: "It is impossible."

Balotelli

Mourinho preferred to focus on Inter but opted against heaping too much praise on young forward Mario Balotelli.

The 19-year-old produced a sensational performance in the 5-0 victory over Genoa last Saturday, scoring one of the goals, but Mourinho has not been too impressed with his attitude in recent days.

"This doesn't mean he's already a phenomenon only because he played a really good match with Genoa," said Mourinho.

"To tell the truth he played a really great game and then he had a really bad working week.

"I value a player for what he does on the pitch but also for the job he does during the week."