Born winner Mourinho is club’s ticket back to top
People will say that Jose Mourinho is not a Manchester United manager but this is the move they simply had to make. It’s time for United to get in the real world. like it or not, they are in the rat race like everybody else. The last two years have been far from enjoyable and United had to act now and bring in a serial winner.
In David Moyes and louis van Gaal, United have gone from one extreme to another and they need to realise they will not find another Sir Alex Ferguson who will dominate football for 26 years at one club.
HE’LL DELIVER THE GOODS
one big question mark over Mourinho is whether he will be in and out in three years — but United fans won’t mind at all if he delivers the goods.
Yes, Jose will upset people and if you are a young player at old Trafford such as Marcus Rashford (below) you’ll be a little nervous given the manager’s poor track record with giving youth a chance.
There is no doubt this will be a big challenge for Mourinho after the debacle at Chelsea and his style of play may not be to everyone’s liking, but I’m sure fans would be more than happy if he gets United challenging at the top once more.
If Mourinho wins United’s first premier league crown since Sir Alex retired in 2013, you won’t see too many fans complaining — even if he doesn’t stick around long.
IT WILL BE BOX OFFICE IN THE NORTH WEST
With Jurgen Klopp already at liverpool and pep Guardiola taking over at Manchester City, the North West is the place to be next season. I can’t wait to see Jose and pep rekindle their Real Madrid-Barcelona rivalry in the Manchester derby. Without Champions league football, United will want to keep their brand as high as possible and in that respect Mourinho ticks every box — he is a global name and will be box office.
TIME TO TARGET KANE AND ALLI
United have always bought the best young talent in the likes of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Anthony Martial excluded, they have bought badly in the last few years and if I was Jose, I’d test Tottenham’s resolve by bidding for Harry Kane and Dele Alli. Mourinho will be competing with Man City and Chelsea for a striker, while sorting out the midfield is more important than anything else. He’ll inherit a mishmash of players with loads of No 10s and central midfielders.
Juan Mata has done well for United and scored some important goals — not least in the FA Cup final — but Mourinho let him go at Chelsea and I wouldn’t have thought the Spaniard is in his plans.
Michael Carrick is not getting any younger, and while he did well in the FA Cup final, Marouane Fellaini is not good enough for United. They need a top-class player like Arturo Vidal or paul pogba to run that midfield.
You look at Jose’s title-winning midfield at Chelsea of Michael essien, Frank lampard and Claude Makelele and United are a long way off that.
JOSE HAS FINALLY GOT HIS HANDS ON ROONEY
When he was at Chelsea, Mourinho kept trying to sign Rooney. Now he must decide if he wants the england captain as a striker or a midfielder.
Rooney is good in the middle of the park but he’s been a great centre forward. With the pace of Martial and Rashford up front, Wayne probably thinks his best way to get a game is to drop back.
With the money Rooney is on, however, Mourinho will want more than just a midfielder who sits in but the 30-year-old is a big hitter in the dressing room and the manager can’t afford to upset him.
HE SHOULD ADD SCHOLES TO HIS BACKROOM TEAM
I can’t wait to see who Mourinho brings with him to old Trafford and paul Scholes might be someone to add to his staff. The former United midfielder has been one of louis van Gaal’s most outspoken critics this season and Jose might well want to keep any potential enemies close and get him on the inside. There’s no downside to Ryan Giggs staying as part of the backroom staff, too — with all the experience he’s gathering you feel it won’t be long before he wants to be a No 1 himself.