Jose Mourinho is no longer manager of Manchester United.
The Portuguese was sacked just days after United lost 3-1 to rivals Liverpool at Anfield, leaving the club closer to bottom of the table than at the top.
Mourinho’s sacking comes three years and a day after he was let go by Chelsea and further adds to talks of third-season syndrome surrounding the former Real Madrid and Inter Milan coach.
United have already confirmed the club will be employing a caretaker manager until the end of the season.
A statement released on the club’s official website said: “Manchester United announces that manager Jose Mourinho has left the club with immediate effect.
“The club would like to thank Jose for his work during his time at Manchester United and to wish him success in the future.
“A new caretaker manager will be appointed until the end of the current season, while the club conducts a thorough recruitment process for a new, full-time manager.”
According to reports the appointment of a caretaker will not be from within and will be announced in the coming days.
Past that, the future is once again uncertain for United, who will be employing their fourth manager since 2013.
But, who will be around for United to call upon both now and in the summer? And who should they pick?
We’ve gathered some of the best options below.
Caretaker
Dream: Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane has previously been linked with taking charge of Manchester United, even before the wheels started to come off for Jose Mourinho.
The Frenchman led Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League trophies and is currently without a job after leaving the club in the summer.
Zidane is among the early favourites to replace Mourinho full-time but he could also be the short-term option, turning United’s season around as he did for Real Madrid in taking over from Rafael Benitez in 2016.
Then, for Madrid, it was a big risk as the Frenchman had no senior managerial experience. But now, given his successes, Zidane can be the man for United.
Realistic: Laurent Blanc
Once it had been confirmed United were going to appoint an interim manager until the end of the season, rumours started circling about who it could be.
According to reports, United will be looking for someone ‘steeped in the traditions of the club’ with an announcement expected before the weekend.
Michael Carrick, Nicky Butt, Phil Neville and Gary Neville were early possibilities but were just as quickly squashed.
One man who this could be referring to, apart from Mark Hughes, is former defender Laurent Blanc.
The Frenchman only spent two years at Old Trafford but was impressive in his brief spell, winning the Premier League in 2002/03 before retiring.
Blanc has not been employed since leaving PSG in 2016, leading the club to three Ligue 1 trophies to add to another he achieved in charge of Bordeaux in 2009.
He may not be the favourable long-term option, but on a shorter length, Blanc could be the way.
Wildcard: Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte surprised many when he led Chelsea to the Premier League title in his debut season in England, though things ultimately did not work out.
But that hasn’t stopped the Italian from being linked with United, when Mourinho started showing signs of suffering from his third season syndrome.
It would be a bold move for United to appoint the erratic Italian but given the impact he did have on a Chelsea side who looked poor just months before, it may be a smart move.
Squawka Suggests: Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink has replaced Jose Mourinho before, coming in at Chelsea three years ago to steady the ship. The Blues may still have been unspectacular, finishing 10th in the Premier League, but it was an improvement on the state of affairs left by Mourinho.
The Dutch manager has also tasted success as an interim manager, leading Chelsea to the FA Cup in 2009 as well as Champions League semi-final. Certainly not the long-term option, but Hiddink has proven he can do a job as caretaker and would be the perfect choice while United search for their next permanent boss.
Permanent
Dream: Mauricio Pochettino
Tottenham Hotspur can rest easy knowing United will not be appointing a full-time manager until the end of the season.
But come the summer Spurs will have a huge task on their hand to keep Mauricio Pochettino at White Hart Lane.
The Argentinian has long been linked with a move on from Spurs with both Real Madrid and United touted as potential next destinations.
Shortly after Mourinho’s departure was announced, former United defender Gary Neville was stating his case for Pochettino taking charge at Old Trafford.
He told Sky Sports: “For me the next manager of Man United should be Mauricio Pochettino.
“When I look at values at Man United, I look at his belief in young players.
“His performance levels, style of play, the way he’s carried himself.
“My view is he is somebody who brings the three key principals of the club: style of play, promotion of youth and winning football matches.
“He is the person who is the outstanding candidate.”
Realistic: Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane may be the dream move in the interim, the former Real Madrid boss is also the most realistic deal to be done in the summer.
The Frenchman was been linked with a plethora of roles including the French national team, so this is a deal United need to get sorted early – even if it is for the end of the season.
Despite being relatively new to the managerial game, Zidane has tasted phenomenal success with Real Madrid, winning three Champions Leagues and La Liga without Los Blancos looking truly spectacular.
And it is this which would make him the ideal move for United. The Red Devils currently have tonnes of potential in their squad with the likes of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. But Mourinho failed to get anything out of this squad, only winning the Europa League and League Cup in his debut campaign.
Reports of Mourinho falling out with Pogba have dominated news recently, with the Frenchman tipped as a potential outgoing in January.
But should Zidane be confirmed as the long-term manager, Pogba may just be tempted to stay, to learn and develop under one of the greatest midfielders ever – and his compatriot.
Wildcard: Antonio Conte
A wildcard interim, a wildcard permanent manager. Conte brought big changes to the Premier League in switching to a back three at Chelsea, encouraging some of the top clubs to try it out.
The Italian had a very good first season, leading Chelsea to the Premier League but was unable to replicate it in his second campaign after falling out with the board.
Here lies the big risk for United were they to appoint Conte, given Mourinho’s musings over a lack of backing this season.
But, if they do see Conte as a long term option and do give him the funding he needs to turn United around, it could prove a match made in heaven.
Conte has previously got the best out of Pogba, giving the Frenchman the perfect amount of creative freedom inside a midfield trio, something Mourinho failed to do in his time at United.
Squawka Suggests: Pablo MachÃn
Three managers have been and gone now since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and all have failed to make real impact on United. David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho were all known names among English football fans but struggled – Moyes still has six months left on his initial deal as the first replacement.
So now could be the time for United to look elsewhere, following in Arsenal’s footsteps and bringing in a Spanish manager – Pablo Machin.
Machin is a superb coach. At 43, he’s on the young side, and he doesn’t have that much experience, but he’s proven himself incredibly capable. Last season he guided Girona (who he got promoted a season before) to a well-earned 10th-place finish. As a result, Sevilla came knocking and he’s since transformed the Andalusians.
Sevilla are currently second in La Liga, just three point behind Barcelona at the top. Moreover, they play sensational football in a vibrant 3-5-2; a formation which perfectly accentuates Manchester United’s strengths (ball playing midfielders, lots of strikers) while making light of their weaknesses (no wingers, terrible full-backs). Machin’s style is bold and proactive, just like Unai Emery’s was when he guided Sevilla to three consecutive Europa League wins.
Machin’s commitment to attack has got so much success out of the lesser talents of Girona and Sevilla, so the poor state of United’s full-backs wouldn’t be a problem (especially given their decreased defensive responsibility). And if you gave him some of the wonders that United have in attack, he could make Manchester United into Machinster United, something seriously special.
The post Dream, realistic, wildcard, Squawka Suggests: Who should replace Mourinho at Man Utd? appeared first on Squawka News.
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