Fonseca conceded the time was right for him to leave the club after receiving confirmation on Tuesday he will be replaced by Mourinho at the end of the season.
The Serie A club made the shock announcement of Mourinho's appointment just over two weeks after he was sacked by Tottenham, and a few hours after confirming Fonseca's exit.
"For me, professionalism is a sacred value. I am as motivated here today as I was on my first day. I want to do my best for Roma until the final day," Fonseca said.
"Mourinho is a great coach, we all know that. I think he will do a great job. Speaking honestly, I thought it was time to follow a different path away from Roma."
United now have the opportunity to deny their former manager a Champions League berth by ending their hopes of qualifying via winning the Europa League.
"It was very surprising," Roma expert John Solano told Sky Sports of this week's appointment. "This was not something that was on anybody's radar to be honest. Many in Rome felt that Maurizio Sarri was the favourite. There were some talks between the Roma board and him but this really came out of nowhere.
"It took everyone by surprise, but the enthusiasm following this announcement and the departure of Fonseca has been very high. The supporters are going crazy for this, and it doesn't really seem like his previous two stints [at Man Utd and Tottenham] have affected the enthusiasm surrounding this move.
"This has been almost unilaterally extremely positively by Roma supporters."
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