dream of managing Manchester United after
Louis van Gaal's troubled two-year reign at
Old Trafford came to a bitter end.
Van Gaal said he was "very disappointed" to be
sacked on Monday just 48 hours after leading
United to victory in the FA Cup final against
Crystal Palace.
Missing out on a lucrative Champions League
place proved the final straw for the club's United
States-based owners, the Glazer family, and they
didn't let United's first piece of silverware since
the 2013 retirement of legendary boss Alex
Ferguson stop them from wielding the axe.
With van Gaal having cleared out his desk at
United's Carrington training ground after talks
over a settlement for the final year of his three-
year contract, which had been worth a reported
£6.4 million per year ($9.2 million, 8.2 million
euros), the path is clear for former Chelsea
manager Mourinho to be confirmed as the new
United boss on Tuesday.
Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea in December
after a miserable campaign marred by a series
of rifts with the club's star players that
eventually became intolerable to owner Roman
Abramovich as the team, champions just months
earlier, languished near the relegation zone.
Now the 53-year-old will hope to restore his
reputation by restoring the sparkle to United's
own tarnished image.
Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes is said to be
arriving in Manchester on Tuesday to tie up a
deal that has been widely reported in the British
media, setting the stage for one of the sport's
most intriguing characters to at last manage
United after a glittering career that so far
features 21 major trophies, including three
Premier League crowns and two Champions
League titles.
Former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel
believes Mourinho is the right man to get the
club back on track.
"On the top of Mourinho's list was always
Manchester United, now he has the opportunity,"
Schmeichel told the BBC.
"Now they have a guy that is supposed to be the
biggest manager in the world, the one that really
could save Manchester United.
"It has been a brave decision but one that is long
overdue."
- Volatile -
From the moment, Mourinho danced a jubilant
jig down the Old Trafford touchline after a late
goal from Costinha gave his Porto side the draw
they needed to eliminate Alex Ferguson's men
from the 2004 Champions League, the colourful
and controversial Portuguese has seemed
destined to manage United.
He thought his time had come when Ferguson
retired, but concerns over his volatile nature
prompted United to turn to the more
conservative David Moyes instead.
But with that move proving a disaster and van
Gaal faring little better, United's powerbrokers
have decided to take a chance on Mourinho.
Pictured strolling with his former Chelsea
assistant Rui Faria while removal men took boxes
away from his London home on Monday,
Mourinho appeared the picture of contentment.
But he is a far less convivial figure once the
battle lines are drawn, both with opponents and
even his own players.
Having famously locked horns with the likes of
Arsene Wenger and Rafael Benitez during his two
spells with Chelsea, Mourinho will arrive at
United just in time to resume hostilities with
Pep Guardiola, who is about to leave Bayern
Munich for his first taste of the Premier League
as Manchester City boss.
Mourinho, then in charge of Real Madrid, never
wasted a chance to take a swipe at Barcelona
manager Guardiola during their time in Spain.
But it was Guardiola who had the better of it,
with Mourinho winning just three of their 16
meetings.
The duo will go head-to-head for the first time
when United face City in the pre-season
International Champions Cup in Beijing on July
25.
By then, Mourinho will hope to have significantly
improved an unbalanced and often lacklustre
United squad.
Paris Saint Germain forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic,
Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Mario, Everton
defender John Stones, Chelsea midfielder
Nemanja Matic and Atletico Madrid forward
Antoine Griezmann are reportedly among the
names on his wanted list.
But Mourinho, expected to bring Faria and
goalkeeping coach Silvino Louro with him to Old
Trafford, might also have to deal with scepticism
from the United squad after a report that some
senior players have already expressed concern
the tactically conversative coach might prove too
similar to van Gaal.
Van Gaal's dull tactics frustrated United fans,
while the players were reportedly infuriated by
his habit of staging video review sessions in
which he would criticise their mistakes in front
of the team.
If he can rebuild the confidence of his squad and
make United champions for the first time since
2013, Mourinho may regard it as his finest achievement yet.
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