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Manchester United have reportedly made contact with Jose Mourinho about becoming the club’s manager, with the axe hovering ominously over incumbent boss Louis van Gaal.
The Red Devils have endured a testing period of late, culminating in an awful 2-1 loss to Norwich City last time out.
According to Neil Custis of the Sun, it’s a sequence which could potentially see Van Gaal sacked before United’s Boxing Day fixture with Stoke City, and it seems they may have their eye on a replacement already.
Custis wrote:
SunSport understands United spoke to an intermediary about Mourinho even before Saturday’s defeat to Norwich. …Mourinho has made it clear he wants straight back into football following his departure from Chelsea last week. And the Portuguese boss—who pulled out of attending Frank Lampard’s wedding to Christine Bleakley to head for a meeting, would love the United job.
Custis claims faith in Van Gaal has seeped away among the Old Trafford hierarchy after a run of three consecutive defeats.
The supporters seem to have finally lost faith in the Dutchman too, with a fan poll cited in the piece suggesting a whopping 88 per cent of United fans want Van Gaal out and Mourinho to come in.
Things have certainly taken a turn for the worse at United in recent weeks, with the club out of the Champions League and off the pace in the title race. It's undeniable at this juncture that the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss is in a precarious position.
Van Gaal’s position has been scrutinised further in the wake of Mourinho’s sacking by Chelsea.
The Portuguese was relieved of his duties last week after an awful start to the season at Stamford Bridge, but he’s a proven winner, a supreme motivator and has the bullish personality required to take on the job at Old Trafford.
Van Gaal seems to be losing support fast at Old Trafford.
For United, it’d also be a unique opportunity to acquire a manager who is genuinely world class and currently unattached.
Bleacher Report’s Sam Pilger feels as though it’s imperative the Red Devils move quickly to secure a quality replacement for Van Gaal
Mourinho has his flaws, though. Like Van Gaal, the former Chelsea boss is a pragmatist and any United supporters bemoaning the style of football that has been on show at Old Trafford this season would not have their aesthetic desires fulfilled.
Of course, there is a lot of baggage which comes with the Portuguese too, particularly his divisive personality.
Mourinho is a winner, but has a lot of baggage.
Despite all those factors, ESPN’s Alex Shaw thinks the Mourinho might be an ideal fit for the Old Trafford hot seat.
If Mourinho was to take over, it certainly wouldn’t be with a dynasty in mind, as his career has proved to this point. United are a traditional club and some of the Portuguese’s conduct this term will not have gone unnoticed by those at Old Trafford. However, it’s worth remembering Sir Alex Ferguson, despite his post-retirement reverence, was no angel during his managerial days.
What Mourinho does guarantee is trophies, and for a United team that has lost its winning mentality, lifting silverware again would be a vital step in their route back to the top.
With Van Gaal slowly appearing to lose his grip on the Red Devils' squad, it only seems a matter of time before decisive action is taken.
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