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MANCHESTER UNITED are treading water under Jose Mourinho.
So when it comes to replacing him, United bosses should turn to the man who has been walking on the stuff down on the south coast.
It might sound surprising but Mourinho and Eddie Howe have more in common than some people realise.
Both are stuck in limbo, though for different reasons.
Mourinho has tried all he can to get the best out of the talent available to him at Old Trafford and has reached the end of the road.
Thrashing the Premier League’s bottom side doesn’t change a thing.
Sharks
Down in Bournemouth, meanwhile, Howe also finds himself in no man’s land having taken the Cherries to the top of their personal mountain.
In the space of a decade, barring a brief and unsuccessful stint at Burnley, Howe has led the Cherries from the foot of the fourth tier of English football to the upper echelons of the Premier League.
The remarkable tale has been well documented and so it should be, but what is the next chapter of the fairytale?
Howe is swimming with sharks at the top end of the Premier League and somehow surviving on tiny budgets and attendances.
His side are safe from relegation and looking up, but all they see is a chasm between them and the elite that will never be breached – as proven by Saturday’s 4-0 home thumping by leaders Liverpool.
Other than sneaking a place in the Europa League, Howe has achieved all he can where he is. Winning the Premier League title isn’t going to happen. Neither will they get the chance to compete in the Champions League.
The Cherries are within touching distance of England’s elite but that distance remains huge and five defeats in the last six games have shown Howe that, while it can take ages to scale Everest, the journey back down can be swift.
The only way is down for Howe at Bournemouth. He will never admit this, but will know it.
And he only has to take one look at what has happened to Sean Dyche at his old club to realise how cruel football can be at the highest level.
Dyche has performed similar miracles at Turf Moor, leading the Clarets to a remarkable seventh place finish last season and European football.
Fast forward six months and the Clarets have fallen faster than the share price of Thomas Cook, to find themselves in a battle to avoid relegation.
Sacked
When Dyche was riding the crest of his wave last season he was linked with various jobs, most notably Everton when Sam Allardyce was sacked.
He chose to remain where he was and is now starting to resemble yesterday’s man, with his team producing mediocrity instead of miracles.
Howe is now in danger of suffering a similar fate, because he looks like someone who has become a big fish in a small pond.
The 41-year-old has outgrown the Cherries and needs a new challenge.
Howe looks like a good fit for United should those in charge decide to grow a pair and sack someone who is leading them down a road to nowhere.
Howe is young and ambitious with more improvement in him, conducts himself in the right manner and places huge importance on youth.
United should turn to Howe in the coming months and the man himself should accept.
It would be a leap of faith on both sides, but if Howe refuses to leave his comfort zone we will never discover just how good he is – or can go on to become.