Bastian Schweinsteiger dropped a shock admission that Jose Mourinho 'always asked about Bayern Munich' amid speculation linking him to the defending German champions.
The Bavarians axed Niko Kovac on Sunday after their 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
Mourinho, 56, is widely considered the frontrunner to succeed Kovac at Bayern Munich this season.
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And the 35-year-old Schweinsteiger, who spent 13 seasons playing for Bayern Munich's senior team, played under the Portuguese manager at Manchester United and revealed he had a keen interest in the Bundesliga.
"I can imagine Mourinho in Germany," he told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
"I remember he was always asking me about Bayern and the Bundesliga. During our away games, there was always Bundesliga on TV.
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"He really knew every single player, even from the smaller teams. He was also learning German."
Bayern Munich legend Schweinsteiger spent two years at Old Trafford and had a turbulent relationship with the 'Special One,' who demoted him to training with the under-23 team.
He would leave for MLS side Chicago Fire in 2017 before announcing his retirement from football last month.
Mourinho has been out of management since he was axed at United last season, but he has been filling in as a pundit on Sky Sports the current Premier League campaign.
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The ex-United and Chelsea boss, who has been linked with Borussia Dortmund, told Gazzetta dello Sport in July that he missed football and he had been learning German.
He said: "I really miss football. I miss the adrenaline, the field, my job.
"Football is football. Right now, I am studying German. Bundesliga?
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"Now, I'm studying German because I miss the language.
"I speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian. But I do not exclude anything, not even Germany."
Bayern Munich are also heavily linked with Massimiliano Allegri, who left Juventus at the end of last season, and Ajax boss Erik ten Hag.
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The reigning German champions are fourth in the Bundesliga and are four points behind league leaders Borussia Monchengladbach.
Hans-Dieter Flick has been appointed as caretaker manager of Bayern Munich as the German side hunt for their new club manager.
The Bavarians will return to action when they host Olympiacos for their Champions League clash at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Football News, Niko Kovac, Bavarians, Jose Mourinho, Football, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Special One, Bayern Munich, Bundesliga