The Manchester United manager has said he won't get personal with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as both men start their Manchester journey.
The duo were staunch opponents in Spain, with a lot of mouthwatering El-Classico encounters between both managers. When Mourinho was at Real Madrid and Guardiola at Barcelona.
The personal rivalry will be rekindled as both men take charge of the two big Manchester Clubs.
Both clubs are expected to challenge for the Premier League title, but beyond that is the expected thriller that next season's Manchester derby will offer, in terms of history, tradition and the personality of the managers involved.
Mourinho thinks the complexity of the Premier League makes such direct rivalry dangerous for the duo, as it could play into another title contender's advantage.
"My experience does not allow me to be innocent.
"For two years I was with Pep in a league where the champion was either him or me.
"In a situation like this, individual fights make sense because they can influence things.
"If I were to focus on him and he were to focus on me, (in the Premier League) someone else (another club) would be champion."
Mourinho was speaking at a lecture in his home country, he delivered to post graduate students on football management.
United have been linked with Zlatan Ibrahimovic over the last few weeks. When asked if the 34 year old will be joining United, Mourinho refused to give a definite answer, but replied:
"My good friends always rave about me.
The Portuguese also guaranteed his audience he won't be signing any player from his home country.
When asked if he would sign any Portuguese, he said:
"I won't be signing any player from Portugal to Old Trafford."
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