Jose Mourinho insists Sergio Ramos remains a ‘very good player’ and has ‘no doubts’ the veteran defender could cope with the physical demands of the Premier League amid speculation linking him with Chelsea and Manchester United.

Ramos, 35, is available on a free transfer this summer after bringing an end to a glittering 16-year career with Real Madrid in which he made a staggering 671 appearances and helped the club win 22 pieces of silverware.

The Spaniard lifted three of these trophies during Mourinho’s three-year spell at the Bernabeu, with the pair securing the La Liga title together back in 2012 as well as the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana.

Two of Mourinho’s other former sides, Chelsea and United, are said to be eyeing moves for Ramos as they look to add quality at the back to close the sizeable gap on champions Manchester City for the new season.

Speaking to talkSPORT on Friday morning, the Special One admitted he was ‘surprised’ to see Ramos leaving Madrid and backed the centre-back to continue playing at a high level for a top European team.

Asked where Ramos will end up this summer, Mourinho replied: ‘Honestly, I have no idea. He’s the kind of player that you expect to finish his career at Real Madrid so it’s quite surprising that it didn’t happen.

‘I believe that in spite of his injuries this season that kept him out for a couple of months – and even the decision from Luis Enrique to leave him out of the Euros – that doesn’t hide the fact that he’s still a very good player, capable of performing a couple more seasons at a very good level.

‘I can imagine that we are going to see him playing for a very good club, also because only a top club would be in condition to fulfil his financial demands.’

Mourinho believes Ramos could have a similar impact in the Premier League to Thiago Silva, who helped Chelsea’s young squad win the Champions League with his invaluable leadership and experience last term.

Asked whether Ramos would still succeed in the English top flight at the age of 35, the Portuguese replied: ‘You look to Thiago Silva and it’s a similar situation. He didn’t stay in Paris where people expected him to stay a couple more seasons.

‘He came to Chelsea, signed one season with an option for one more. He didn’t play every match, he had a couple of little issues but in big matches he gave great stability.

‘You can imagine how much he helped the team to develop, the young players and the leadership.