Zidane, Pochettino or Wenger – who will replace sacked Jose Mourinho at Manchester United?
Jose Mourinho reportedly cried when he heard he had not been chosen as the heir to Alex Ferguson's throne at Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho reportedly cried when he heard he had not been chosen as the heir to Alex Ferguson's throne at Old Trafford.
Five years on, having finally landed his dream job, Mourinho's United tenure also ended in tears.The axe finally fell on the Portuguese on Tuesday, an increasingly inevitable divorce as Mourinho fell out with senior squad members, blam
ed his superiors for a lack of backing in the transfer market and oversaw a drastic deterioration in performances and results on the pitch.
It’s understood that Manchester United are currently in talks with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - the super sub who won them the historic treble in 1999 - as caretaker manager till the end of the season.
Sunday's 3-1 defeat to bitter rivals Liverpool, which left United 19 points off the Premier League leaders after just 17 games, proved the final straw.
After David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, a third manager sacked in four years suggests there is far more to be fixed behind the scenes at the world's richest club than a new name on the manager's door.
Former club captain Gary Neville raged at a club "rotten to the core" when rumours over Mourinho's future first circulated and after the Liverpool defeat described United's board as "so naive it's unbelievable".
But Mourinho did little to help himself, particularly in a short-lived third season, which has become an unwanted hallmark of his managerial career.
His departure from Old Trafford came a day after the third anniversary of his sacking from a second spell at Chelsea just six months after winning the title with the Blues.
For the first time since leaving provincial Portuguese side Uniao de Leiria for local giants Porto in 2002, Mourinho leaves a club having failed to win a league title.
He did deliver silverware. Winning the League Cup and Europa League in his debut season, and even claiming the Community Shield, a glorified friendly curtain-raiser to the season, as a hat-trick of trophies.
United's highest league finish since Ferguson's retirement followed last season but it was still only second best to local rivals Manchester City and by a record 19-point margin.
Now that the Special one is gone, who will replace him at Old Trafford? Here are the hot favourites:
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino said on Tuesday that he was committed to delivering results in his current job, in comments that may do little to quell speculation about him replacing the sacked Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
Pochettino has emerged as bookmakers' favourite to succeed Mourinho, with the Argentine viewed as a suitable long-term candidate to deliver attacking football and develop young talent at Old Trafford.
The 46-year-old told a news conference he was saddened by Mourinho's departure, and he dismissed what he described as "rumours" over his own future. But he did not flatly deny any interest in replacing the Portuguese.
"I went to send my best wishes to him, I'm so sorry. I have a good relationship with him... he's a good friend and it's sad news," Pochettino told a news conference.
"The business you know very well - a lot of rumours happen. I think after nearly five years there's a lot of rumours about my position as manager at Tottenham. I cannot answer this type of question.
"It's not my business what happens in another club now. I'm focused on training and delivering my best result in this club (Tottenham)."
Pochettino, who joined Tottenham from Southampton in 2014, has guided the club to consecutive top-three finishes in the Premier League, but he is yet to win a trophy.
Former United skipper Gary Neville pointed out on Tuesday that while Pochettino had not picked up any silverware in England, he had a number of qualities that would appeal to United fans.
"My view is they need someone who meets the three key principles of the club - promotion of youth, entertaining football, and to win matches," Neville told Sky Sports.
Pochettino shrugged off the suggestion lightly.
"Of course I respect the opinion of everyone. But people say different things," Pochettino said.
Pochettino is closely followed at 4/1 against by former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, who led the Spanish side to three successive Champions League titles.
Former United midfielder Michael Carrick, now a coach at the club, is quoted at 10/1, just behind former Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim, on 9/1.
It may be strange for some United fans to countenance but former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is at 20/1, the same as Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe.
United said they would appoint a caretaker while conducting a thorough recruitment process for a new full-time manager. Italian Antonio Conte (12/1) is out of work and previously succeeded Mourinho at Chelsea, going on to win the title.
However, rival bookmakers had former United defender and France manager Laurent Blanc emerging as the frontrunner with some putting him EVENS, down from 12/1, ahead of Pochettino.
The Frenchman spent two years at Old Trafford from 2001, making 75 appearances, and has been out of work since leaving Ligue 1 side Paris St Germain in 2016.
It’s understood that Manchester United are currently in talks with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the super sub who won them the historic