Conte "starting to be a bit annoyed" by Mourinho

Mourinho, who has had two spells as Chelsea boss and is Conte's immediate predecessor, appeared to take a swipe at the Italian - and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp - for their antics in the technical area at his United press conference on Thursday when he said he did not feel the need to behave like "a clown" on the touchline.

Asked about Mourinho's comments on Friday, Conte used the Italian phrase "demenza senile", which translates as senile dementia, before saying he was ready to respond in kind to any taunts thrown in his direction.

Conte said: "Maybe he was speaking about himself in the past. I think that someone forgets what's said in the past, which is his behaviour.

"Sometimes I think there is, I don't know the name, but demenza senile... when you forget what you do in the past."

Conte is in his second season as Chelsea head coach, like Mourinho is at United.

Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea for a second time in December 2015 and the Blues finished 10th, with Conte guiding them to the title in his first season as boss.

Conte added: "There is a person that continues to look here. You understand? He went away, but he continued to look here.

"I am starting to be a bit annoyed. If you want to go to fight with me I am ready. I am improving a bit my English, because this is the real problem for me, otherwise we can go, we can go to fight.

"I'm ready to fight for me, for my players, for the club, with everyone. I have no problem."

It is the latest run-in between the Italian, whose side play at Norwich in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, and Mourinho, who took exception to Conte rousing the Stamford Bridge crowd when Chelsea beat United 4-0 last season.

Conte insisted his comments were not pre-meditated, suggesting Mourinho's are.

"I am not prepared, like other persons, to make a cinema," he added.

"I'm not this type of person. At the same time, when I start to listen with regularity to this situation it is right to answer because it is funny and I laugh a lot."

Asked if Mourinho was resorting to "cinema" to distract from performances and results, Conte added: "I don't know. Now it is very difficult to do only cinema. Maybe in the past with the cinema it was enough. Now you have to show football knowledge and the cinema is not enough for the coach."

Conte described the verbal sparring between Premier League bosses as "very strange", but he also responded to comments from Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger on Friday.

Wenger accused Eden Hazard of diving to earn a penalty in Wednesday's 2-2 Premier League draw, but Conte thinks other decisions went the Gunners' way.

Conte said: "I think if Arsene Wenger watched the game again, (he would) understand he was very lucky during the game with the referee's decisions.

"I think Wenger has to accept the decisions."

The Italian was pleased to add Everton midfielder Ross Barkley to his squad, for a fee of around £15million.

Conte said: " 'We are talking about an English player, a young player. He has good prospects for Chelsea."