Jose Mourinho has been fired by Manchester United on Tuesday morning following their humiliating 3-1 defeat to their arch-rivals Liverpool. It has not been even halfway through the season, but the English outfit are already 19 points behind the league leaders.
During his tenure at Old Trafford, he was able to lift the League Cup and the Europa League in his first season, but went trophyless in the successive season and finished in a Champions League place. With just 6 points from 17 games, the board has decided to show the exit door for the Portuguese International who fought hard to reclaim things back inside the dressing room.
Assistant manager Michael Carrick will take over the squad training for the next couple of days. The external interim manager is expected to be named after that timeframe by the Red Devils.
Who will replace Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford on a permanent basis after this season?
#1 ZINEDINE ZIDANE – 5/2:
Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is the first name on the bookers’ list. Currently, without a job, the one-time World Cup winner retransformed the Los Blancos by winning one La Liga title, and three Champions League title in three years.
Several Manchester United fans are already wanting the French International to take up the job at Old Trafford, but he had a Real Madrid team which could easily win Championships. Given the current defensive calamities at Manchester United right now, Ed Woodward would want someone with more experience to take up the helm. However, he heads the list for the bookies with 5/2.
#2 ANTONIO CONTE 8/1:
Antonio Conte is second in the list with 8/1. The former Chelsea manager has some unresolved problems with the Blues which could be unraveled in the forthcoming summer.
The Italian has a great reputation of winning titles having won three successive titles with the Old Lady, followed by one with Chelsea in 2017. He could prove to be a great replacement for Mourinho, but the Red Devils will need to shrug off Inter Milan’s interest to land him.
#3 MAURICIO POCHETTINO 8/1:
There has always been a debate about the number of trophies Mauricio Pochettino has won at Tottenham Hotspur. But, he was able to transform the London club from a midtable to a top-four club within the span of three years with a slow process.
With the odds of 8/1, Pochettino is the third in the list. Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville said that he would be a perfect fit for the Red Devils. His team has always played brilliant eye-catching football. However, it needs to be seen if the Argentine is ready to leave Spurs post this season.
#4 LAURENT BLANC 10/1:
Former Manchester United defender is another running candidate for this job following the departure of Jose Mourinho. Having won league titles at Bordeaux and Paris Saint-German, Laurent Blanc has much more experience in his bag to win titles. Reliable France journalist Romain Collet-Gaudin has already said “Blanc is quoted to be the next Manchester United manager” this morning.
The French International was sacked for the underperformance in the Champions League in 2016 despite lifting the Ligue 1 title. Since the French outfit are miles ahead of every other club in France top tier when it comes to the financial power, PSG have been considered as frontrunners to win the title every single season.
#5 LEONARDO JARDIM – 20/1:
One Portuguese International could replace another Portuguese International at Old Trafford. Leonardo Jardim is the fifth in the bookers’ list with 20/1. The former Monaco manager who was so close to joining the Asian club Al-Nasr last month, could not agree to terms with that club.
He produced tons of players during his reign with Monaco and won the League trophy in 2017 by playing scintillating football. Should the Red Devils bring him to Old Trafford, they could witness exciting football in the future.
