Jose Mourinho’s position at Old Trafford helm has been the subject of intense speculation throughout the season. Poor results on the pitch earlier in the campaign led to suggestions that the Portuguese could be relieved of his duties.
But Mourinho has since turned things around, with his side winning four and drawing two of their last eight matches. Despite the recent upturn in form, talk of the 55-year-old leaving the club still rages on in some quarters.
However, it appears that United have revealed they plan on having ‘The Special One’ in charge next season.Last night, the club announced they’d play two pre-season friendlies in Australia, in which they’ll take on Perth Glory and Leeds United.The club tweeted a video promoting the two games, in which Mourinho sent a message to United fans in Oz.
#MUTOUR is heading down under next summer! ??
More details: https://t.co/msXrfTc6W3 pic.twitter.com/toOLzimVWP
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 20, 2018
He said: “See you down under.”
Mourinho’s troops are currently a staggering 12 points behind league leaders and local rivals Manchester City and seven points off fourth-placed Tottenham.
Many have put United’s failure to challenge for the title down to the disarray which followed Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure from the club in 2013, a notion former AC Milan star and current Cameroon manager Clarence Seedorf agrees with.
“After Ferguson it’s just difficult,” the current Cameroon head coach told Sky Sports News. “It’s a transition phase still, and not only Ferguson but the players that he had.
“Once the last team of [Paul] Scholes, [Ryan] Giggs and [Wayne] Rooney fall away, it’s a part of the club that leaves the heart of the team. To replace that you need to have patience.
“That’s not only happened with Manchester United, it’s happening in Milan but they need to keep on working. I think they have all the means to be able to stay competitive.
“He [Mourinho] definitely has an interesting track record. It’s up to the club and him to understand whether his management still has influence and he can turn things around.
“He definitely has the capacity – I don’t think we have to discuss Mourinho’s qualities but sometimes things just don’t go and that could be the main decision to stop working with each other.”
United return to action on Saturday afternoon when they welcome Crystal Palace to Old Trafford.