Mourinho probably ‘man for the job’ of lifting United, says Neville

PHIL NEVILLE does not believe Jose Mourinho’s expected stay at Manchester United will be a long one, but he reckons there is every chance of it being successful.

Mourinho is widely tipped to be named as a replacement for Louis van Gaal in the coming days, despite Saturday’s capture of the FA Cup thanks to a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.

The Portuguese coach rarely stays in any one place for an extended period of time, but his confrontational style has brought a remarkable number of trophies and Neville, a key figure in Sir Alex Ferguson’s dominant United sides, suspects it will deliver again.

“I can’t see him staying too long at Man United, maybe two or three years,” said Neville. “That seems to be his shelf-life at a football club.

“When Jose finishes at a club, it tends to be a pattern where he falls out with a few players, he gets disgruntled and the team dips. It happened at Chelsea and at Real Madrid. He’s a proven winner, a proven champion. United fans want a team that will challenge for the league title, not a team that finishes seventh or fifth, and Jose is probably the man for the job.

“Don’t be surprised if United in the next month sign three or four players and when he gets to pre-season he has his squad already in place.

“He knows who he wants and will demand United sign those players for United to become championship challengers again.”

Van Gaal, meanwhile, declared “it’s over” yesterday morning as he was approached by TV cameras outside United’s team hotel in London.

It was later claimed that he was referring to the season rather than his time in charge, but the comment sparked a fresh wave of speculation over his future. Van Gaal still has a season remaining on his three-year deal.