Jose Mourinho surprises wannabe managers and jokes that they are 'better than him' as they step into his shoes for mock VR press conference

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Jose Mourinho is renowned for his press conference performances, but he took a step back to allow some unsuspecting fans into the spotlight this summer.

Using new VR technology, seven wannabe managers were invited by Top Eleven to step into Mourinho's shoes, before the man himself popped up to surprise them.

Wearing Mourinho masks with 360-degree virtual reality screens, the fans were placed into a high-pressure press conference scenario and quizzed by journalists, offering their best responses.

Jose Mourinho stands in front of a fan ready to surprise him during the press conference

The man couldn't believe his eyes when he lifted his mask to see Mourinho in front of him

The Manchester United boss even tried out the virtual reality equipment himself on the day

Little did they know, Manchester United boss Mourinho was standing just feet away to critique their performances... and he was very impressed! 

'You were very confident,' he told one man. 'Much better than me! You laugh, you were in control, very strong in your opinions. Top, top class.'

He then joked: 'Maybe I need these to train myself?'

Before the mock press conference, the managers were put through their paces with a robust training programme.

Mourinho joked that some of the men pretending to be him were actually better than he is

Mourinho chats to a fan after revealing his identity at Biggleswade United Football Club

The VR users said they were 'immersed in a virtual world' and they felt the pressure

The participants underwent coaching which examined their body language, all the way down to tips and advice on their tone of voice.

Speaking about the experience, one VR 'super-user' said: 'I was immersed in a virtual world, which I knew wasn’t real, but still felt the pressure as if I was in a real press conference scenario. 

'I have a newfound respect for managers like Jose.'

All of the managers underwent coaching before the press conference to work on their tone

Mourinho said that one man was top class: 'You were in control, very strong in your opinions'

The Manchester United boss sat through a real-life press conference in Washington this week

Back in the real world, Mourinho is working hard behind the scenes to recruit new players ahead of the 2017-18 season.

United face Champions League winners Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup on August 8, ahead of their opening league fixture against West Ham.

Mourinho, it seems, will be taking some new-found tips into the season.