JOSE MOURINHO’S TIME at Manchester United is over.
News of the Portuguese coach’s departure was announced by the club this morning after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool further added to their dismal start to the season.
Michael Carrick is set to look after first-team duties for the next couple of days until a caretaker manager is installed — reportedly until the end of the season.
That means it is likely to be the summer before they appoint someone on a permanent basis.
United remains one of the top jobs in world football, and there is sure to be several big names linked.
Below, we look at some of the potential candidates.
1. Mauricio Pochettino 8/1
The former Argentina defender has done an excellent job at Tottenham with less resources than Europe’s superpowers. He turned Spurs into top-four side that plays attractive, attacking football since taking over in 2014, while qualifying them for the knockout stages of the Champions League in the past two seasons.
The 46-year-old has yet to win any silverware as a manager, however, and Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy would surely put up a fight to keep hold him.
2. Zinedine Zidane 4/1
One of the greatest players of his generation, Zizou moved effortlessly into management with his old club Real Madrid in 2016. In two-and-a-half years, the Frenchman won three Champions Leagues, the league title and two Club World Cups in the Spanish capital before stepping down back in May.
A box office name and also available, he’s currently the bookies’ favourite for the job despite being untested in the Premier League.
3. Massimiliano Allegri 16/1
The Juventus boss Allegri has won the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia in every one of the four years he’s been in charge. The Old Lady of Turin also reached two Champions League finals during that period, to re-establish themselves as a heavyweight in European football.
He was linked to Chelsea before they appointed Maurizio Sarri, and could well be up for a new challenge in England.
4. Diego Simeone 20/1
‘El Cholo’ has worked wonders at Atletico Madrid over the past seven years — winning the league title, the Copa del Rey, the Europa League while also finishing runners-up to their Madrid rivals in the Champions League on two occasions.
Undoubtedly a top manager, but his defensive style might not go down too well with United fans.
5. Antonio Conte 12/1
The Italian became a Premier League champion in his very first season at Chelsea after replacing Jose Mourinho. It would be asking a lot to expect him to do the same at United, but, like Allegri, the Italian has real pedigree from his time as Juventus manager. A fiery character who has clashed with Mourinho a couple of times in the past.
6. Laurent Blanc 9/1
United fans will remember when Alex Ferguson attempted to replace Jaap Stam with a 35-year-old Blanc back in 2001. The move proved to be a few years too late, although he did win a title there in 2003 before retiring.
As a manager, Blanc has been in charge of Bordeaux, the French national team and Paris Saint-Germain. He tends to play a 4-3-3 and once said of his style: “Obviously I want my team to win, but I also want them to play ball. That’s a state of mind, a fundamental principle, and Manchester United and Barcelona share it.”
7. Leonardo Jardim 16/1
Under Jardim, Monaco became one of Europe’s most entertaining teams to watch as they beat PSG to the French title in 2017 and reached the Champions League semi-finals. Playing attacking football, the Venezuelan-born Portuguese coach blooded several young players such as Kylian Mbappe, Bernado Silva, Benjamin Mendy, Fabinho and Thomas Lemar — who have since gone on to make big-money moves elsewhere.
Stripped of his best assets, Jardim was sacked by Monaco in October.
Who would you like to see given the job?
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