Jose Mourinho’s future at Manchester United is under the intense glare of the Sack Race microscope ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Valencia.
The beleaguered boss is in all sorts of trouble having overseen Man Utd’s joint-worst start to a Premier League season following an abysmal 3-1 defeat to West Ham over the weekend, which left the struggling Red Devils 10th in the table after seven matches, nine points adrift of Man City.
Mourinho is currently the hot favourite to become the first victim of this season’s Sack Race, and can now even be found at odds-on to go with one bookmaker, while the former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane remains the frontrunner to replace him in the betting, ahead of Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte, Diego Simeone and Laurent Blanc.
A defeat at home to Valencia tomorrow night would plunge Mourinho even deeper into the mire and could even cost him his job at Old Trafford. But where next for the under-fire 55-year-old should he be axed? Bookmakers Paddy Power have released a ‘Next Club’ market and it’s fair to say a surprise destination has cropped up, which we’ll get on to in a minute.
Top of the list is Mourinho’s former club Inter Milan at 11/4. Mourinho famously led the Italian outfit to a stunning league, cup and European treble in his second and final season (2009/10) at the helm of the San Siro side. The club has since only won one trophy and while the current incumbent, Luciano Spalletti, endured a stuttering start to the season he’s gone on to win his last four games on the spin meaning a managerial change is unlikely to occur anytime soon. Although that’s not to say a future move is out of the question.
This fan says José Mourinho has met his match in Paul Pogba 👇
#BBC606
Mourinho is the most successful manager in Portugal's history and it would surprise absolutely no one if he was to manage the country’s national team (7/2) at some point during his managerial career. Mourinho has spent 18 intense years working in the pressure pit of elite club level management, and should the opportunity arise he may fancy having a stab at life in the international arena, with Portugal bidding to defend their European Championship crown in two years time.
The next option in the betting is a shock one to say the least...Wolves! The Black Country outfit have enjoyed a cracking start to the campaign under the tutorship of Mourinho’s fellow countryman Nuno Santo, who has led his troops to an impressive 12 points from seven games, suffering only one defeat in the process.
Santo has held both Mourinho and Guardiola to draws so far this term, and as his reputation continues to soar, Wolves may soon have to swat away interest in their man, whose star is shining far brighter than Mourinho’s. Plus we’re pretty sure 99.9% of Wolves fans wouldn’t trade Santo for Mourinho anyway. In fact we’re 100% sure.
Other next job options for Mourinho includes ‘Any Chinese Super League Club’ at 9/1, former club Real Madrid at the same price, while PSG could prove to be the value bet at 10/1.
