Jose Mourinho will be faced with a litany of problems once the
polarising Portuguese manager finally starts his Manchester United reign
later this week.
Mourinho could be confirmed as United's new boss as early as Wednesday
after his agent Jorge Mendes met the club's executive vice-chairman Ed
Woodward for talks in London on Tuesday.
The former Chelsea boss is reported to have been offered a three-year
deal worth £15 million ($21 million, 19 million euros) per season and
would be given a transfer war-chest of around £200 million to revive the
troubled Premier League club following Louis van Gaal's sacking on
Monday.
Mourinho has long dreamed of managing United, but the fulfilment of that ambition will come with strings attached.
The 53-year-old's arrival at Old Trafford will be greeted with relief by
large sections of the United fanbase and squad in the aftermath of two
turbulent years under the drab management of arch pragmatist Van Gaal.
However, Ronald De Boer, who played under Van Gaal at Ajax before
joining him at Barcelona where Mourinho was working as an assistant,
says Mourinho can be just as conservative and acerbic as Van Gaal.
"People run away with the impression of Mourinho and it's the same with Van Gaal. You hate him or you love him," De Boer said.
"There will always be players who are not playing who will dislike him.
"Mourinho is like Van Gaal, a workaholic. Sometimes it's not pretty but he knows how to grind out wins. That's what you get."
Before he even has time to settle into his new office at United's
Carrington training ground, Mourinho must solve the thorny problem of
Ryan Giggs' status.
Mourinho is expected to bring long-time assistant Rui Faria and
goalkeeping coach Silvino Louro with him, meaning Van Gaal's assistant
coaches Albert Stuivenberg and Frans Hoek are likely to be dismissed.
RISKY MOVE
That would leave Giggs as the last member of Van Gaal's staff and his
future is now uncertain after he was reportedly offered a less senior
coaching position by Mourinho.
United legend Giggs has spent 29 years with the club and was a popular
caretaker manager following David Moyes' dismissal in 2014.
The Welshman is believed to be disappointed he wasn't offered the chance
to succeed Van Gaal and is said to have flown to Dubai to consider his
options before giving Mourinho an answer.
Getting rid of a United icon at the start of his reign would be a risky move for Mourinho, but it is far from his only problem.
After being sacked by Chelsea in December following a series of rifts
with senior players, Mourinho, who has won three Premier League titles
and two Champions Leagues, will find a United dressing room at a low ebb
after Van Gaal's constant criticism.
While Van Gaal earned admiration for promoting youngsters such as Marcus
Rashford, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Jesse
Lingard, the Dutchman is regarded as having failed to control a group of
volatile personalities.
Netherlands winger Memphis Depay, a £25 million pre-season signing, is
said to be in danger of squandering his talent due to a dubious
attitude, while veteran German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is
reported to have been given special treatment by Van Gaal after a series
of injuries.
Mourinho must decide on the future of England midfielder Michael
Carrick, who is out of contract shortly but retains a strong voice in
the squad.
Spanish winger Juan Mata could also be on his way out after being sold
to United within six months of Mourinho arriving at Chelsea for his
second spell at the club.
Once Mourinho decides who will be leaving, he can turn his attention to
the signings required to revitalise an unbalanced squad that finished
fifth in the Premier League and crashed out of the Champions League at
the group stage.
Yet, without the lure of Champions League action next season, Mourinho
might find it hard to land his top targets – especially with the Pep
Guardiola revolution getting underway across town at Manchester City.
City and Barcelona are believed to be ready to compete with United for
the signature of Everton's England defender John Stones, who Mourinho
was unable to sign while at Chelsea last year.
As if that wasn't enough to be getting on with, Mourinho also has to
deal with the distraction of his upcoming court appearance over claims
he discriminated against Chelsea's former club doctor Eva Carneiro.
Mourinho called Carneiro "impulsive and naive" after she ran on to the
pitch to treat Eden Hazard during Chelsea's match against Swansea last
year and she was later dropped from first-team involvement.
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