Manuel Jose

Al Ahly have dismissed reports that Manuel Jose is being courted to become the next coach of Egypt’s senior national team, The Pharaohs.

News rife in Egypt suggests the Egyptian FA is in talks with officials of Ahly to reach a deal which will see the former Angola coach succeed Hassan Shehata who resigned last month.

But the Ahly board member Khaled Mortagey says his club has never been contacted by anyone with respect to the coach. And even if it happens the answer was always going to be no.

“I think they (EFA) knew what the outcome would be and that’s why they didn’t contact us,” he told BBC Sport.

“If Ahly had been approached the answer would have been no.”

The Pharaohs, who have won the last three Nations Cups, are bottom of Group G of the 2012 Nations Cup qualifiers and almost certainly out of contention for next year’s finals in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Mortagey pointed out that Jose had come back to Ahly after stints with Angola and in Saudi Arabia.

“Manuel Jose has a contract with Ahly, he came back specially to the club and ignored many other offers,” he added.

“They know very well Manuel Jose would never coach any other club in Egypt apart from Ahly, not even the national team.

“He is coming for a special mission to build a new team and to hopefully win more trophies in the coming 2 or 3 years.”

Egypt’s next 2012 Nations Cup qualifier is away to Sierra Leone in September.