After an exhilarating FA Cup victory, Manchester United have decided to part way with current manager Louis Van Gaal and have appointed José Mourinho as manager effective for the 2016-17 season.
THIS JUST IN: Jose Mourinho agrees to deal with Manchester United to be club's next manager. (via @ESPNFC) pic.twitter.com/x4eIAJb38R
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 21, 2016
Manchester United will appoint Jose Mourinho as their new manager, BBC Sport understands. https://t.co/VYeo05GLWl pic.twitter.com/FwlfkPwyEU
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 21, 2016
Louis Van Gaal went 103 games with the Red Devils, since July 2014, and finishes his Man Utd career with a 52 percent win percentage. Overall, he has a 60 percent win percentage in his career. Mourinho, on the other hand, has a 63.55 percent win percentage in his career, but has been jobless since being let go by Chelsea in December of 2015.
In two years as Manchester United manager, this recent FA Cup victory was the only hardware that Manchester United have won during his reign as manager. They qualified one time to the Champions League, but crashed out in the group stages and went into the Europa League before bowing out in an exhilarating matchup against Liverpool.
It will be interesting to see how Mourinho works with Manchester United as “The Special One” has brought Premier League titles to Chelsea, and Man Utd will be keen on winning another Premier League crown, a title they have not won since the 2012-2013 season. Also, the Manchester United fans will look for Mourinho to get them out of the Europa League, which is one of the reasons many see as the catalyst for his ouster, and back into the Champions League.
Many experts see this as a good move for the Red Devils, but others argue that Mourinho is a short-term manager, only good for three years (at best) before he’s off and away trying his luck with another team. Manchester United fans have been spoiled in having the longest-reigning manager up until Alex Ferguson’s retirement, and with Mourinho’s hire he will be the fourth manager in as many years, which must be a foreign feeling for Red Devil supporters.
But there is no denying that Mourinho can get results and has the experience and resume to lead Manchester United to a title, to the Champions League and possibly into further greatness. But the highly controversial manager will have to adapt to a whole new culture at Old Trafford, and will be held to the highest of standards of excellence as Manchester United manager.
It will surely set up an intriguing upcoming season for the Manchester United, and the Premier League as a whole as The Special One is once again going to grace pitches all across England and Europe. Arsene Wenger better get ready as the Arsenal/Man Utd matchup just got all the more interesting.
