Premier League beckons for Mourinho's apprentice?

"I never realised that in order to become a jockey you have to have been a horse first," said legendary Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi, when his absence of a professional football playing career brought into question his credentials as a coach. He went on to win consecutive European Cups with Milan, as well as a runners-up medal with Italy in the 1994 World Cup.

His career no doubt inspired those, like Andre Villas Boas, who wished to manage and coach in football without the experience of playing professionally. It seems that whilst many youngsters dream of playing in a World Cup final, for Boas, it always been his dream, even his destiny, to coach. In fact when he was just seventeen, thanks to some sweet-talking from his first mentor, none other than Sir Bobby Robson, he became the youngest ever holder of a UEFA C Coaching license.

It didn't take long for his first management job, when at aged just 21, he became British Virgin Islands head-coach. It was from here that his own special relationship with the 'special one' started. He moved to Porto, and whilst coaching the under-19's, Jose Mourinho was appointed first-team coach. The two, who knew each other from their time with Sir Bobby Robson, became a formidable team, and moved together from Porto to Chelsea and then to Inter.

The rest, as they say, is history. That is until the start of of the 2009/2010 season, when Villas Boas decided to go it alone, taking his first senior coaching role in Portugal, with Academica. His success was immediate, guiding the club from the relegation zone to ten points clear of relegation, and reaching the semi-finals of the Portuguese cup. What was perhaps more impressive though, was his ability to quickly change the style of play, forming an attacking, attractive team.

His reputation quickly grew, and he moved to Portuguese giants FC Porto in June 2010. Since then, he has already managed to break a record, set by none other than Jose Mourinho, of consecutive matches without defeat, beating Jose's 33 game streak.

Now his name is already being touted for some of Europe's biggest jobs, and with prospect of him being the 'new Mourinho' it might well be that a club decides to take a calculated risk and approach him before he becomes a house-hold name.