Would Mourinho be welcome at United?


The story linking Jose Mourinho with a move to Manchester United as manager one day continues to rumble on. Mourinho has in the past hinted that he would like the job, and again this week, that he sees his long term future in England.

It would seem unlikely that a return to Chelsea would be on the cards and, going on the assumption he would only go to a top 4 club, unless there is new ownership at Arsenal then his style of play wouldn't exactly be welcomed at the Emirates which leaves Man Utd or Liverpool. Liverpool are certainly in need of a change at the moment but whether the financing would be available for Mourinho under the current owners is uncertain.

The other apparent option for Mourinho is the Man City job, where he would certainly have the financing made available to him, but the main aspect of that job that would appear to potentially rule it out is that it is unlikely it would be a long term job which according to Mourinho is what he is looking for next in his career. That leaves only Manchester United as the type of club that Mourinho is looking for. There is no doubt that he is a top manager and 5 titles in 7 seasons in 3 different countries is an impressive record for anyone, but would he be welcomed by the fans at Old Trafford?

The initial reaction by many fans would be no, but the reality is Sir Alex can not go on forever. Most of us can't really remember Man Utd without Sir Alex but there will be a day when he is no longer in charge. There have been a few names linked with possibly taking over one day including David Moyes, Martin O'Neil and Steve Bruce, but the reality is none of these guys have won titles before and are very unlikely to at their current clubs so would a risk like that be one worth taking or does the experience of Mourinho not make him an ideal candidate?

There is no doubt in my mind that Mourinho has the managerial talent to win the league at United but for him to be accepted by the fans he would need to adapt to the culture of the club. If Mourinho was in it for the long haul he could be an excellent United manager and although it would take him a while to win over the whole support he would be a success as at Man Utd. Whether the club would choose to appoint someone like Mourinho I think will very much come down to Sir Alex who will almost certainly have major say in whoever is appointed.

Written by Mark Ferguson, a sports writer who blogs about cheap football shirts

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