As slow as the process of announcing Jose Mourinho seems to be, it also somehow has the feeling of being rushed along.
Louis van Gaal was sacked less than 48 hours after guiding Manchester United to FA Cup glory and it’s reported that Jose Mourinho is going to be announced as the Dutchman’s successor before tomorrow.
So why is it all happening so quickly?
The Daily Mail claim that the Red Devils are sprinting through the process to avoid having the official unveiling spoiled by a charity match scheduled for Old Trafford on June 5.
Jose Mourinho will manage an England XI at the 10th annual Soccer Aid match next Sunday and will be forced to speak to the media at a press day on June 2 where he will inevitably be inundated with questions about the deal and, as good as he is at handling the media, Mourinho would not be able to simply respond with the silent treatment.
In an ideal world Manchester United would have wanted Mourinho’s first press conference as manager to take place after Euro 2016, as will be the case with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, but the fact that Mourinho is unlikely to be able to avoid questions about the United job at the media day has forced Ed Woodward’s hand.
United are burning the midnight oil to get this deal signed so that the Portuguese can take a press conference before June 2 as Manchester United manager.
The charity match, and media obligations around it, have meant that United were not granted the luxury of waiting until July to dot the i’s and cross the t’s.
Stupid charity, eh?
