SUMMARY
- Rumors has it that Jose Mourinho might return to his former club Manchester United.
- Mourinho sees himself as a possible replacement for Manchester United due to Erik ten Hags poor performance.
Jose Mourinho might be coming back to the hot seat at Old Trafford. This is the news that has made the headlines in recent hours. Jose Mourinho has been recently linked with a return to his former side, Manchester United.
Still, on top of his tactics, the ‘special one’ considers himself a potential candidate to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. The Dutch manager hasn’t had the best of seasons this time around and is facing media criticism following disappointing results.
According to the 61-year-old Mourinho, he feels he still has some ‘unfinished business‘ at the club. As reported by Mike Keegan on the Daily Mail, one of the friends of Mourinho spoke about his desire to join Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho is eyeing a sensational return to Manchester United.
He believes he has unfinished business at Old Trafford
[@MikeKeegan_DM] pic.twitter.com/wLuY9Rgslw
— PurelyFootball ℗ (@PurelyFootball) February 1, 2024
Keegan reported, “His ambition is to return to United. He feels like he has unfinished business thereafter how it ended last time, and he had made it his mission to go back.”
The Portuguese manager is eyeing options for his next club after getting sacked by AS Roma earlier this month. The sack comes after Roma’s poor start to the season. However, Mourinho helped the Italian side win the UEFA Conference League back in the 2022–22 season. It was closely followed by his last-season performance, where Roma finished as the runners-up in the Europa League final.
Jose Mourinho’s record at Manchester United
Following the sack of Louis van Gaal, Manchester United secured the services of Portuguese mastermind Jose Mourinho in the 2016–17 season. Even though he only lasted at the helm of Old Trafford for a couple of years, his record at the club can’t be ignored.
Call me whatever’s you want to call me. Call mea Mourinho fanboy. Call me anything as I said.
But, Mourinho’s 2nd placed finish and 2 trophies along with 81 points in second season with 28 goals conceded looks impossible to be bridged in the near future.
He was the man. #mufc pic.twitter.com/TrcuOdxisM
— Archith (inactive) (@UtdArc) October 3, 2019
In his first season, Mourinho went on to win the UEFA Europa League and the League Cup for Manchester United. It was the Red Devil’s first intercontinental success in eight years after winning the UEFA Champions League back in 2008. Under the stewardship of the special one, Manchester United showed character in the final against Ajax, where they won 2-0 without the availability of many big players because of injury.
The following season saw Manchester United finish second in the Premier League behind Manchester City with 81 points. The season is still regarded as one of the greatest ever in the coaching career of the Portuguese manager.
Why did Jose Mourinho leave Manchester United?
Following two decent seasons as the manager of Manchester United, Jose Mourinho started to have a worried time in the middle of the 2018–19 season. After defeat against Liverpool in December 2018, which saw the Red Devils out of the top 4 race by a margin of 11 points, Mourinho was finally shown the door by Manchester United.
José Mourinho’s official statement after leaving Manchester United. pic.twitter.com/T8n9F8SxHc
— PurelyFootball ℗ (@PurelyFootball) December 19, 2018
At the time Mourinho was sacked, Manchester United was sitting sixth in the Premier League table. However, it is believed that the decision to sack Mourinho wasn’t entirely dependent on the result against Liverpool. The United board showed their dissatisfaction with Mourinho’s performance in several areas. Transfers, youth development, and the style of play always bothered the management.
Mourinho was replaced by former Manchester United player Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. Solksjaer had to undergo some damage control, which he did. However, it didn’t improve Manchester United’s position in the league that season. The Red Devils finished sixth that season.