Manchester United have confirmed that Jose Mourinho has left his role as manager of the club with immediate effect. The ‘third season’ hex strikes again.
A statement was issued via the United website on Tuesday morning that read thus:
The club would like to thank Jose for his work during his time at Manchester United and to wish him success in the future.
United also announced that a new caretaker manager (Giggseh? Carrickeh?) will be appointed to see out the rest of the season while they continue to find themselves a new permanent successor.
Manchester United has announced that Jose Mourinho has left the Club.
We would like to thank him for his work during his time at Manchester United and wish him success in the future. #MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 18, 2018
The decision comes after a pallid couple of months in which results and performances have waned while Mourinho was repeatedly shown up by several of his younger, less turgidly dogmatic contemporaries.
Being turned over by Liverpool at the weekend appears to have been the final straw. It’ll likely cost them an arm and a leg (between £18-24million, reportedly) in compensation, but it still makes more sense for United to remove Mourinho than to either, A) sell all the players he’s formulated personal vendettas against, and/or B) stage another mass splurge in January.
He routinely complained about the United squad not being ‘his’. Sorry, but after three years in a job, that team is yours whether you like it or not.
As for Mourinho’s next move, how many ‘big jobs’ do you think he’s got left in him? He’s been whittling away at his ‘elite’ standing for years now. The game appears to move on. He’s out of ideas. He’s been left behind and shows no inclination to adapt.
It’ll probably be a while before he resurfaces, but where? A nostalgic return to Porto? A lucrative gap year out in China?