Who’s The Man To Replace Mourinho?
There’s only one thing on people’s minds now – who is next? We’ve got all the best Next Man Utd Manager Odds and tips right here.
English football was rocked to its foundations on Tuesday morning when the news broke across all major channels, including social media. Manchester United had officially ended the contract of manager Jose Mourinho.
The decision was made to end the special one’s time at Old Trafford just days after the 55-year-old was given the dreaded public backing of his bosses. However, in the end, that made little difference as the gaffer’s famous three-year curse struck again. Surely it can no longer be considered a myth that Jose losses his job in the third season after taking charge.
Regardless, the Setubal-born leader once again finds himself unemployed; unfortunately, it probably came as no great shock to the former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid manager. Many followers of the Premier League thought it would’ve happened long before now; however, with the January transfer window about to swing open, it looks like the men in charge have timed their move carefully.
Sitting in Sixth Place
Mourinho leaves United sitting sixth in the table with stats of seven wins and five draws against five defeats. They are already 19 points off the pace set by Liverpool and 18 behind bitter rivals Manchester City; most important of all, they are 11 behind fourth-placed Chelsea who are the current gate-keepers to qualification for next season’s Champions League. It has been written that Mourinho was sacked before he could inflict any more damage on The Red Devils’ season.
Three draws on the bounce did nothing to win over his growing army of critics. There was a feeling when Man Utd beat lowly Fulham at Old Trafford that the result was merely delaying the inevitable. A 2-1 loss followed at the home of Valencia on Champions League duty; this was followed by a devastating 3-1 reverse at Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool Put The Boot In
League leaders Liverpool beating Man Utd on Merseyside was certainly no great surprise; however, it was the margin of victory and the woeful effort put in by the beaten side that really stuck in the throat of all connected to the Manchester club.
Mane scored the opener for Liverpool on 16 December; then, despite Lingard firing an equaliser against the run of play on 33 minutes, it did little to stop the Liverpool express train. Shaqiri fired home a deadly double on 73 and 80 minutes.
Did Mourinho leave the touchline knowing that was the last time he’d lead Man Utd into battle? If he did, he did a great job of hiding it when speaking to the press at full-time. Jose could do nothing more than admit the better team won; he simply threw his hands up to say Liverpool were stronger than his troops in everything they did.
Opposite number Jurgen Klopp didn’t give a second thought to the pressures facing his rival. He was smiling from ear to ear when dubbing Liverpool’s performance outstanding, one that left him feeling over the moon. Two professional managers who have achieved a great deal in the game but the difference in moods was impossible to miss. We doubt he’ll take the reins and leave Liverpool – with odds of 100/1 at Unibet.
Top Four Out Of Reach?
Mourinho had every right to feel desperate too, as did followers of the beaten side who had to watch through the gaps in their fingers as Liverpool dominated the afternoon. Man Utd, as well as losing three goals to their rivals, finished the match with just 35% of the overall possession, six shots at goal and a pitiful two on target. The report from that match alone proves there was no long-term future for Mourinho at a club that demands a top-four finish as a minimum.
Some low points of Mourinho’s Man Utd career were highlighted by the press shortly after his sacking. These include spending close to £400m on 11 players with most of them failing to make any sort of impact on the team. Critics say he failed to understand the club’s attacking philosophy; many more believe a number of high-profile disputes with big earning players forced the board’s hand.
In his 144 matches in charge of United, Mourinho won 84 games, drawing 32 and lost 28. They scored a total of 243 under his guidance, conceding 117. He also delivered European success when pushing his side to Europa League glory. There’s now a genuine question as to whether another high-profile side will take a gamble on Mourinho following a string of failures.
Who Will Take the Reins?
Looking to the future and bookmakers have wasted no time in putting together their thoughts on who will be the man to replace Jose. There are a few names included that may surprise you, some not instantly recognisable as a boss who could do a better job. Let’s look at the best next Man Utd manager odds.
Laurent Blanc
The market is led by Laurent Blanc who English football fans will remember as the former France and Man Utd defender, playing for the club 48 times between 2001 and 2003. He has managerial experience at Bordeaux, PSG and France. Also, he would be a more affordable option than most as he’s not currently managing a club. 5/4 is the general feeling within the betting ring at the time of checking with bookies such as BetFred; however, some firms are as tight as even money.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Next best is another former player in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The 45-year-old Norwegian played for United between 1996 and 2007 and is no stranger to the inner workings of Old Trafford, having bossed the reserves. He’s currently the leader of Norwegian Eliteserien side Molde. He’s also as big as 5/2 to be next Man Utd boss at Unibet; however, again, there’s a difference of opinion with some online bookmakers 2/1.
Others
Others worth a mention at a price that suggests their chances should be taken seriously are:
Fans number one choice Zinedine Zidane at 8/1 (Unibet) and he would be our pick purely on the basis that he appears to be overpriced.
Then there’s Mauricio Pochettino 16/1 at Unibet,
Michael Carrick 16/1 at BetFred
Antonio Conte 20/1 at BetFred.
Outsiders of the field include:
Ryan Giggs 16/1 at BetFred,
Leonardo Jardim 20/1 at BetFred,
Nicky Butt 20/1 at BetFred,
Arsene Wenger 25/1 at Unibet
Didier Deschamps 28/1 at BetFred.
Some quoted that really can’t be considered are:
Sir Alex Ferguson 50/1 at Unibet,
Sam Allardyce 80/1 at BetFred,
Rafa Benitez 33/1 at Unibet,
Brendan Rodgers 33/1 at Unibet
David Moyes 150/1 at Unibet.