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Man Utd possibly face Roberto Martinez or Arsene Wenger appointment after development
MANCHESTER UNITED possibly face either Roberto Martinez or Arsene Wenger replacing Jose Mourinho following comments made by Zinedine Zidane’s agent.
Manchester United have their finger off the trigger for now but, despite that, Jose Mourinho’s job remains under severe scrutiny.
Yesterday’s victory over Newcastle has provided some much-needed respite. Yet, unless results improve, Mourinho’s head could still possibly roll.
And already, appointing his successor looks no easy task. Zinedine Zidane’s agent has quelled talk of a move to Old Trafford by insisting it wouldn’t be his client’s style.
Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly Manchester United’s No 1 choice to replace Mourinho.
But Tottenham would unlikely let him go mid-season. If at all.
So where does that leave United?
Antonio Conte is available but doesn’t fit the bill. His inconsistent management of players at Chelsea shows that.
Leonardo Jardim is struggling at Monaco, so his stock is plummeting.
And Massimiliano Allegri is tied into the Juventus job.
So - it’s all theory here - United could sensationally be left with either Martinez or Wenger to call should they make the call to ditch Jose Mourinho.
Both men have been backed to take over at Old Trafford.
Back in August, BeIn Sports pundit Richard Keys even claimed United had entered talks with Martinez about him coming in.
“Woodward will already have spoken to the representatives of possible replacements - and although Andy Gray left me speechless when he threw Roberto Martinez’s name in the ring - a conversation off-air left me convinced that ‘lines of communication’ have been opened,” he wrote on his blog.
“I’m sorry - it’s not my fault!”
If that’s true, then Martinez could very well be on his way to Old Trafford.
And with Belgium primed to lose Thierry Henry to Aston Villa, it may be at the perfect time.
Jose Mourinho accepts clubs losing streak isn't 'good enough'
Another potential candidate is Arsene Wenger.
Sure, he lost his spark at Arsenal. And yes, he DID used to dislike United.
But he’s available and could be a perfect interim appointment.
He’s play attacking football, at least. And isn’t that what the fans want?
Zidane, of course, could be bluffing. And with there a sense growing at Tottenham that Pochettino has achieved all he can, maybe he WOULD jump ship mid-season.
But that looks unlikely. And uncertainty, unlikeliness, may lead to an unusual appointment.