Burnley FC managerial candidate — who inflicted heaviest defeat of Jose Mourinho's tenure — keeping cards close to his chest

By Dan Black
Published 9th May 2022, 17:01 BST
Updated 9th May 2022, 17:01 BST
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Three-time Eliteserien Coach of the Year Kjetil Knutsen was keeping his cards close to his chest when asked about his future.

The 53-year-old Bodø/Glimt boss, who claimed the awards in successive years from 2019, led the club to their first ever Norwegian national league title in 2020, and masterminded the defence of their crown last term.

After steering his side into Europe, he then oversaw a quite stunning 6-1 win over Serie A outfit Roma in the group stages, which also inflicted the heaviest defeat of Jose Mourinho's managerial career.

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The champions, however, have taken just eight points from their first five games and already trail league leaders Viking by seven points. Following the stalemate with Lillestrom on Sunday, Knutsen was questioned about his links with Burnley.

Roma's English forward Tammy Abraham (R) gestures to Roma's Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan (C) during the UEFA Europa conference league football match FK Bodo/Glimt v AS Roma at Aspmyra Stadium in Bodo on April 7, 2022. - - Norway OUT (Photo by Mats Torbergsen / NTB / AFP) / Norway OUT (Photo by MATS TORBERGSEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)Roma's English forward Tammy Abraham (R) gestures to Roma's Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan (C) during the UEFA Europa conference league football match FK Bodo/Glimt v AS Roma at Aspmyra Stadium in Bodo on April 7, 2022. - - Norway OUT (Photo by Mats Torbergsen / NTB / AFP) / Norway OUT (Photo by MATS TORBERGSEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)
Roma's English forward Tammy Abraham (R) gestures to Roma's Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan (C) during the UEFA Europa conference league football match FK Bodo/Glimt v AS Roma at Aspmyra Stadium in Bodo on April 7, 2022. - - Norway OUT (Photo by Mats Torbergsen / NTB / AFP) / Norway OUT (Photo by MATS TORBERGSEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)

Knutsen, who is priced between 10/1 and 20/1 with bookmakers to be appointed as Sean Dyche's successor, told Norwegian TV: “I have found that I should read quite a bit. I think that’s pretty clever.

"I am informed about quite a lot, but I read quite a bit. I have no comment on that. I want to train Bodø/Glimt. I’m going to repeat something that I’ve said a hundred times. If you’re not 100 percent where you are, consider doing something else. This is how I attack every single working day."

Related topics:Jose MourinhoEurope