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Jose Mourinho has responded to claims by Patrick Vieira that he could be forced to leave Inter Milan in January. The French midfielder feels a lack of first-team opportunities at the Serie A giants will force him to look elsewhere in the New Year. At 33 years old he knows he needs to be playing regularly if he is to remain part of the France national side. However, Mourinho believes he has been more than fair to the former Arsenal player this term, awarding him more playing time then a number of his other international stars. "Vieira has played 283 minutes since the start of the season," said the Portuguese coach. "He has played in six games, three of them from the start and three entering as a substitute. "I understand that everyone would like to play more, but that is life. He has played more than (Sulley) Muntari, (Esteban) Cambiasso, (Wesley) Sneijder and only slightly less than (Javier) Zanetti, who always plays."