Jose Mourinho to sign for Manchester United is almost a certainty, if the papers are to be believed. The Portuguese manager is to take over from Louis van Gaal as the Dutch manager is to get the sack at the end of the season.
The major reason for the appointment of the former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid manager is United’s need to be back among the best in England. In Van Gaal’s first season, they made it into the top four after a late run of good results which was supposed to lay out a backbone for the upcoming season.
This year, however, things have not gone to plan and well, there really is no plan when Manchester United play. They don’t seem likely to make it into the top four either and could seriously miss out on the money that is such a requirement from the Champions League.
Jose Mourinho would be brought in to rectify that and give a sense of direction to the Manchester club but many would be wondering if he can actually bring those good old days back to the club.
The right man for the title
There are a couple of things to be discussed here, what is the definition of the “good old days” for Manchester United? Is it winning title after title under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson who won 13 Premier League titles with the club or is it playing a brand of attractive football?
Manchester United have lacked a distinct style under the Dutch manager, but bringing Jose Mourinho would not open the doors to the brilliant wing play and attacking ability the club were known for under Alex Ferguson.
The side would be getting the results, something that Van Gaal has done to a lesser extent, but he is still making his side though he only has one year left on his contract. Replacing him with Mourinho surely will get United the wins that they have been searching for and the Portuguese manager will deliver the title to the club, that much is a guarantee.
The United faithful, though want more than just the trophies, they want to see that great brand of football which attracts not only fans from across the world, but sponsors as well. Manchester United were also known for their belief in the youth setup and that is something which Van Gaal has greatly tapped into this season.
Rashford, Borthwick-Jackson and Lingard are just some of the examples of United players from the academy breaking through the ranks. Manchester United wouldn’t have such a stellar output if Jose Mourinho will be in charge, the Portuguese barely brings out players from the academy in the first team and that would be a major worry not only for the club for the fans as well.
It is a catch-22 situation with bringing Mourinho to the club. On the one hand, they will win titles with him, there is no doubt about that, but on the other hand, there is a real fear that United will stay pretty much what they have been under Van Gaal, a shadow of the great side they were under the legendary Scotsman but hey, at least they will win the league sometime soon, that is good, isn’t it?