Jose Mourinho has remained coy over whether he would accept an offer from Bayern Munich to return to management.
The Portuguese has been out of work since leaving Manchester United in December.
And recent speculation has suggested he would be intrigued by the Bundesliga, a league he has never managed in before.
But the 56-year-old refused to commit when quizzed on how he would respond if the German giants came calling.
“I respect Niko Kovac as I respect many of my colleagues, so I cannot answer this,” Mourinho told Sport Bild. “I can only say that Bayern is a giant club.
“I honestly hope Niko keeps his job because he worked very hard to reach this level.”
“I met Kovač in a friendly game in preseason. I liked him straight away.
“I felt a good connection between us and mutual respect.”
Mourinho also swerved the question as to whether he would like to add a Bundesliga title to his CV, interpreting it as an alternative way of asking him about his feelings towards Bayern.
“If I say yes, everyone will say José wants to go to the Bundesliga so I cannot say yes,” Mourinho added.
“I can only say I want to win my 9th league title and third CL title.”
