Mourinho is fighting to save his job at United

JOSE MOURINHO is fighting to save his job at Manchester United as he approaches a critical set of games over the Christmas period. The manner of United’s capitulation at Liverpool on Sunday has left Mourinho under huge pressure again following the club’s worst start to a top-flight season in 28 years. United face Cardiff, Huddersfield, Bournemouth and Newcastle over Christmas — four winnable games that could also be potential banana skins. Mourinho is odds-on to become the next Premier League boss to be sacked. Zinedine Zidane and Mauricio Pochettino are among the leading candidates to replace him, although assistant coach Michael Carrick would be a

popular choice to step in as caretaker manager. It is understood United would have to pay Mourinho one year’s salary of £18million to get rid of him, and up to £22.5m if he is still in the Champions League or in contention for a top-four place. The players were given the day off, but have spoken for some time about it being a matter of when, and not if, Mourinho is axed. The mood at the club is said to be desperate and he has almost no support left in the dressing room. United yesterday triggered the 12-month extension on Anthony Martial’s contract — as they did with David de Gea last month — and are aware talks with both players over a new deal would be easier if Mourinho was not in charge. However, Martial’s agent Philippe Lamboley said: ‘I am very pessimistic. They have already made several offers that come nowhere near to what we expect.’ Meanwhile, the FA lost their appeal over the decision not to punish Mourinho for comments made in Portuguese after United’s win over Newcastle in October.