Jose Mourinho issued two stark warnings on Sunday as he returned to the Premier League.
He sent a clear message to Chelsea’s title rivals with an emphatic 2-0 win over Hull City, then warned Manchester United that his pursuit of Wayne Rooney is far from over.
The Stamford Bridge boss confirmed he will chase the England striker until the transfer window closes on September 2, and Sportsmail understands if unsuccessful he will resume his pursuit in the January window.
Scroll down to watch Jose: We'll pursue Rooney 'til deadline day
Boost: Jose Mourinho said that having Roman Abramovich in the dressing-room is a huge help
Mourinho declined to name Rooney but said: ‘You know which players — we can sniff a situation and always in an ethical way.’
The club will make another bid, believed to be in the region of £40million, for the United striker this week.
Chelsea had considered Robert Lewandowski as an alternative but he has agreed a wage hike to stay at Borussia Dortmund for another year before joining Bayern Munich next summer.
Chelsea will hold talks with Samuel Eto’o’s representatives on Tuesday as they consider a short-term offer.
Unsettled: Wayne Rooney watched the first half of United's match against Swansea from the bench
All smiles: Abramovich looked happy with the way in which Chelsea kicked off their campaign
The Portuguese received a hero’s welcome as he returned to the home dug-out for the first time in four years. Chelsea raced into a two-goal lead — and Frank Lampard had a penalty saved.
Mourinho later underlined his determination to land Rooney — adding a sideswipe in Arsenal’s direction over their attempts to sign Liverpool’s Luis Suarez.
‘We will try till the last day to add a new player to the squad,’ he said. ‘A striker. I don’t think it’s ethical I name players who belong to other clubs. If we have to make a bid, we make it in an official way.
Banner: Mourinho was welcomed back with open arms by the Chelsea supporters
'We don’t speak to players but to clubs. We don’t try to influence players to behave in a certain way, as other clubs do. We behave in the correct manner and we’ll try for that until the last day of the window.’
Owner Roman Abramovich had given a pre-match pep talk.
Youth: Eden Hazard was excellent for the Blues, but Mourinho said he needs older heads around him
‘We had Mr Abramovich in the dressing room with us for the first time in five years before the match, which means a lot to everyone in the group,’ he said.
Hull boss Steve Bruce said: ‘What a difference to 12 months ago. The whole ground is behind him, the Special One has come back.’
Pick that one out: Frank Lampard netted a free-kick after missing a penalty for the Blues
Comfortable: Oscar set Chelsea going in the 13th minute and there was no way back for Hull from there
New man: Kevin De Bruyne impressed while playing behind the lone striker
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