Jose Mourinho’s undignified pursuit of the manager’s seat at Manchester United is still continuing with a string of contradictory reports coming out of Old Trafford over the past few days.
Some journalists are reporting that incumbent manager Louis van Gaal is going to get the boot after the FA Cup Final against Crystal palace and that the special one will move in post haste.
Others suggest van Gaal will move upstairs as Man Utd’s director of football to work alongside Mourinho.
Mourinho, who was dismissed as manager of Chelsea earlier in the season, has claimed he was on the way to Old Trafford for weeks.
Although he has told the press that he has the job, executives at Man Utd have remained tight lipped and refused to confirm his outbursts.
Secret deal
That could be because they did not want to upset the team’s end of season run in while the players had a chance of qualifying for Europe and winning the FA Cup.
Or Mourinho’s frustration about a secret unconfirmed deal has spilled over into the public domain.
He believes he has a gentlemen’s agreement to take over at Old Trafford dating back to February with a three-year deal worth £15.75 a year plus a transfer war chest of £300 million.
Oddly, the deal is supposed to give Mourinho complete autonomy over transfers.
How that would work with van Gaal haunting the upstairs corridors is not clear. Also Man Utd are actively looking at buying and selling players from next week, so are they cleared with Mourinho?
Players upset by uncertainty
The whole saga is a mess that has unnecessarily heaped media attention on van Gaal and his players throughout the season.
Every press conference and interview inevitably had a question for van Gaal about whether Mourinho had his job.
Now the manager impasse at Man Utd is affecting transfers.
Midfielder Michael Carrick says he will go if van Gaal is still in charge next season because he is upset at the way the team plays under the Dutchman – but he will stay if Mourinho comes.
Other transfer targets, such as Real Madrid defender Rudolph Varane, say the same.
Expect an announcement after the FA Cup Final. The United board need to stabilise the ship to keep players happy – and the odds are van Gaal is packing up his desk already because he knows he is on the way out of the manager’s office.
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