Reports continue to swirl this international break that cast doubt over the long term future of Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
Sure, some of it could just be posturing by his camp in an effort to gain leverage over Old Trafford, and thus negotiate a more favorable contract extension for the current United manager. Perhaps it’s agent-driven noise that perfectly complements an international break, when there’s a major void for real news. Or perhaps the very public flirtations with Paris Saint-Germain are actually a prelude to what direction Mourinho might be going.
There’s definitely a lot going on, and this is certainly multi-layered.
We start with this report which broke on Friday: “Manchester United and Jose Mourinho have made no significant progress in talks over a new contract, sources have told ESPN FC. Preliminary discussions over an extension took place in September but…have not advanced any further.”
We’ve also seen reports in recent days indicating that Mourinho is not happy about the transfer war chest he’s been allotted at United, and that he hopes to be given the opportunity to throw more money at the problem. It’s also been reported that in order for Mourinho to be granted the opportunity to splash the cash when the next transfer window opens come January, he will first have to sell.
One thing’s for sure- Mourinho’s record against the top six on the road is still dreadful, and it’s a big reason why many United fans would not be heartbroken if the Portugese does move on. The Manchester Evening News have assembled a collection of MUFC supporter social media sentiment that is perfectly fine with Mourinho taking off.
Mourinho is currently on a three year deal that keeps him at Old Trafford until 2019.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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