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Former Chelsea midfielder Deco has hailed Tottenham boss José Mourinho but says his former boss has ‘less patience’ with today’s young players.

Deco worked with Mourinho during their time together at Portugal, becoming a star under the Portuguese boss when they won the Champions League in 2004.

Mourinho was a big fan of the midfielder, with Deco recently revealing that he was keen to take him to Chelsea when he made the move to Stamford Bridge in 2004.

The Tottenham boss’ stars has faded since those heady days, with him struggling to replicate his earlier success during a second spell at Chelsea and then Manchester United.

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He now finds himself at Tottenham after replacing Mauricio Pochettino earlier this year, but after a strong start saw his season start to falter before the enforced break.

One of Mourinho’s problems has been getting into the psyche of the modern player, with that once being his strongest point.

Deco, who experienced that first hand, certainly believes it to be the case.

“I think he has less patience with today’s youth,” he told Esporte Interativo.

“In my day, we learned a lot, revolutionary things. He’s the guy who understood the player’s head the most, how each one worked.

“Winning or losing, he never interfered with our thoughts.

“He knew that people could do anything and that in the game and in training, it was scary how much we were going to fight.”