The back page of pretty much every English newspaper is this morning carrying the news that Jose Mourinho is on his way to Old Trafford this summer after telling friends that he expects to be back in management in a matter of months and that there's only one destination on the cards.
While most of the reports this morning suggest that it's a done deal, it must be said that The Telegraph are suggesting that Mourinho will only take over 'if' Man United choose to sack Louis van Gaal. However, with every passing day Van Gaal's position is becoming more and more untenable and it would seem fairly obvious that everyone has agreed to cut ties in the summer with Mourinho already lined up to take the reigns.
If Ed Woodward and co. are trying to do things on the QT then they're going to have to have a word with Mourinho's 'friends' after a well placed source just so happened to tell as many reporters as possible that 'Mourinho's going to Manchester United. It’s a done deal.'
In reality, you'd have to think that maybe, just maybe, Jorge Mendes has something to do with this 'done deal' leak. Mourinho's agent is rarely the most understated of men and the latest reports have a fairly clear smell of his particular brand of representation.
There's clearly a desire to treat Van Gaal with a bit respect by those in charge at Old Trafford but for all the talk of seeing out his contract, Man United simply can't afford another year of mediocrity. As every former player seems to be suggesting, it doesn't take long before you find yourself in Liverpool's position all of a sudden and to prevent that, the quick, and obvious, fix is Mourinho.
He'll take over this summer. He'll be a breadth of fresh air. He'll bring his brand of pragmatic football to Old Trafford. Man United fans will quickly forget about their 'need' to see the beautiful game thanks to his 'everyone hates us, we don't care' psychological tricks. That will only be helped by the presence of Pep Guardiola at Man City and, after a few seasons, things will become strained and United may well be left in the same position that they're in at the moment.
The problem with all that is that United don't really have a choice. They need a sure thing and Mourinho is the only real option. Giggs or Pochettino would be a risk that they just can't afford to take. Mourinho may not bring beautiful football, he may not bring a sustainable long term plan but he'll bring life back to United and it certainly won't be boring.
Either that or Jorge Mendes is just bluffing and it's all a ploy to ensure his client stays relevant.
