Desailly made 191 appearances for Chelsea between 1998-2004

Desailly told BBC Radio 5Live: "I was very surprised Grant got the job.

"He doesn't have the experience we were expecting but he looks like he is motivated. He has to say: 'It's about the future now and I'm in charge.'

"It will be difficult - Mourinho was loved by the players, that's why he was still in the job after last season."

Interview: Former Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly

The players will be down because psychologically Mourinho was good for them Marcel Desailly

Grant has managed the Israeli national team but in club football his experience of Champions League football amounts to just six games.

The 52-year-old Chelsea manager also does not have a Uefa pro licence, despite Uefa and Premier League rules requiring anyone wishing to manage in the top flight to hold that qualification.

Grant now requires special dispensation to manage the club for more than 12 weeks.

The Israeli takes control of Chelsea for the first time on Sunday as they face champions Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Desailly believes Grant's first task will be to ensure his players are fully focused on the match and not reflecting on Mourinho's shock exit.

"The players are down, but remember it's not just about the coach," said Desailly.

"It's about the club and the players are professional and very well paid and they'll be ready.

"Grant will have to tell them: 'We have to succeed, we can't worry about the past now, it's about the future'.

"Normally what happens when a club changes the coach is that you get a positive reaction, no matter whether the coach is experienced or not. You still manage to get a response for the next game.

Grant takes charge of Chelsea for the first time at United

"Mourinho protected his players when they were in trouble. They will be down because psychologically Mourinho was good for them.

"Grant will probably have a different approach. He's part of the Chelsea family and he'll give a lot of energy and we might be surprised at the way he manages the team.

"Mourinho was used to playing with just one striker up front with Didier Drogba with a lot of midfielders around him.

"Grant may change this and have two strikers to give more pressure and skill because the owner Roman Abramovich will want to see more entertainment."

When Abramovich took over the club Desailly was the Chelsea captain, but the French World Cup winner says the Russian billionaire did not interfere with footballing affairs during his time.

"I have a lot of respect for Abramovich," said Desailly. "You could see he was very passionate, he loved football, on top of the fact that he put a lot of money into the club.

"Maybe this time he came to ask Mourinho a few questions. In the past, it was just a case of asking what's going on.

"I think Mourinho was unhappy with the pressure of the past few weeks and that's why he has reacted and they've decided to separate."

606: DEBATE Give your reaction to Avram Grant's appointment

Mourinho wants to manage in the Premier League in the future, but Manchester United chief executive David Gill has ruled out the prospect of bringing him to Old Trafford.

"It's not going to happen," Gill told BBC 5live. "We don't need that, we don't need that distraction or interference in our club."

Mourinho was also supposed to be involved in a charity football match at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday 10 October between a Desailly All Stars team, coached by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, and a Chelsea XI.

But Desailly, a trustee of the Laureus Foundation in France, said he thought it was unlikely Mourinho would now be involved.

"I was a bit disappointed because Mourinho was meant to be the manager of the Chelsea team but it should still be a great occasion.