Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has attempted to play down any supposed feud between himself and former club Chelsea, insisting that he feels no extra emotion ahead of Sunday's league encounter.

The 54-year-old, who spent five years with the Blues across two separate spells, was goaded by supporters on his most recent return to Stamford Bridge last month.

Mourinho responded to home fans during his side's 1-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat by issuing a three-fingered response, signifying each of the Premier League titles won during his time in West London.

Ahead of this weekend's latest tussle between his old club and new, the Portuguese has attempted to play down the falling out and insists that Chelsea are top of the division on merit.

"For me, it is just a game. One more game. No difference for me," he told reporters. "They are top of the league - it's not just because they are fresh. It's also because they have individual quality and they have collective quality.

"They have a certain style of play. They stick to it, they do it very well. Not every team defends with 11 players and they defend with 11 players. Not every team is so objective in their counter-attacks.

"They are very objective in the counter-attack and they have individual players out of the context of the game that can also resolve the problems, so they are a very strong team."

Chelsea are unbeaten in 12 matches against Man United in all competitions, including each of their last four visits to Old Trafford.