Jose Mourinho has had a bad few months, from a depleted preseason squad to his newly installed captain Pogba being approached by Barcelona. Then there was the failure in bringing in a new defender or any of the signings he had asked the board to pursue in addition to Fred.
His press conferences have been almost painful to watch, as he reels off his misfortunes and even picks out individual players for criticism. A narrow win against Leicester City in the opening game of the Premier League stopped the fans from showing their frustrations but after a lacklustre display where they lost to Brighton, the anger is building amongst the Old Trafford faithful. EX-players like Gary Neville and Paul Scholes are voicing their concerns about the happenings at the club and it seems like a matter of time before Mourinho departs the club.
Mourinho is favourite as next Premier League manager to get sacked
Now Mourinho has been installed as the bookies favourite to get the sack, with former Real Madrid manager Zidane the favourite to take his place.
Here are the odds for the next Manchester United manager:
Will Mourinho stay at Manchester United? Bet with bet365
Former players Neville and Giggs would be backed by the fans but in reality, most United fans will want an established manager. Neville’s short-lived stint at Valencia outlined that he is probably not ready for the step into management just yet. There are some very experienced managers available right now though and the United board might want to make a move before they get snapped up by another team.
Zidane is top of the list
Zidane left Real Madrid after he delivered the Champions League in May and he is the kind of calibre that would be welcomed at United. If United want to keep Pogba happy at the club then a move for his national team manager and World Cup winner Didier Deschamps could be a good tactic.
The United board have given Mourinho their backing but if the transfer window is anything to go by, they are not backing him where it counts and that could be a clear sign that they are ready to look at other options.