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Football

15th Oct 2017

Manchester United could “lose” Jose Mourinho as manager, according to report

Mourinho is said to feel "let down" by Ed Woodward

Robert Redmond

Mourinho is said to feel “let down” by Ed Woodward and there have been no talks yet about extending his contract.

Jose Mourinho could leave Manchester United because of grievances he has with the club, according Duncan Castles, writing in The Daily Record.

Castles has sources close to the United manager and tends to be quite supportive of his decisions.

So, when he has a story saying Mourinho is unhappy and “frustrated” with the club’s executive vice-chairman, it’s worth paying attention to.

According to Castles:

  • United “face the prospect of losing the services of Jose Mourinho as manager.”
  • Talks on extending Mourinho’s contract, which expires at the end of the 2018/19 season, have not started. Castles writes that, “no move has been made by Woodward to offer the 54-year-old a contract extension and the Portuguese is not minded to sign one.”
  • The United manager is unhappy with the “unnecessarily bureaucratic and inefficient organisation at Old Trafford and United’s Carrington training base.”
  • He reportedly feels that United have been hesitant about implementing “recruitment decisions” and matching the funding of their European and domestic rivals.
  • Mourinho feels “let down” by Woodward over his attention to detail and measures to improve the team’s chances of success.

United had the second-largest wage bill in world football last season, so Mourinho’s reported displeasure with the club’s inability to match their rivals in this regard seems peculiar. Otherwise, only those within Old Trafford, or with sources close to the club, will know for sure how the situation is unfolding.

What is clear is that Mourinho said in an interview that United won’t be his last job in club management.

“The only thing I can say is that I am still a coach with worries, ambitions, desires to do new things. I’m sure I will not finish my career in Manchester,” Mourinho told Telefoot.

“The other day my son decided to go and watch a match in Paris rather than Manchester. Why Paris? Because right now Paris has something special. There’s a magic about the place, youth and quality. It’s fantastic.”

It’ll be interesting to see how the situation develops over the coming months.

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