Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho to be SACKED unless he does one thing - it will cost him
MANCHESTER UNITED boss Jose Mourinho will reportedly be sacked if he doesn’t get the club into the Champions League this season - but it would cost him.
Mourinho is 'fighting for survival' at United says expert
United sit eighth in the Premier League after 12 matches, already 12 points behind leaders Manchester City.
It comes after a 3-1 defeat to Pep Guardiola’s side on Sunday in which the Red Devils were outplayed throughout.
Mourinho’s side have already lost four Premier League matches this season and sit behind AFC Bournemouth and Watford in the table.
They are seven points off Tottenham who occupy the last Champions League place in fourth spot.
Mourinho has been under constant pressure this season following a poor start which has also seen the club knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Championship outfit Derby.
And the Sun now report that United chiefs are willing to wield the axe if Mourinho doesn’t get the Old Trafford side into the top four.
It’s claimed that the former Chelsea boss knows Champions League football is critical to Manchester United.
And it’s believed Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is being lined up to replace Mourinho at the Theatre of Dreams.
Should Mourinho be sacked, it would cost him a year on his contract.
The 55-year-old signed a new deal at Old Trafford earlier this year, keeping him at the club until 2020.
But the Sun also claim that a sacking would cost Mourinho one year of his salary at £15million.
Mourinho’s style has regularly been criticised at Manchester United, often opting for a defensive tactic.
And Jermaine Jenas recently likened Mourinho’s United to a poor-performing Premier League giant.
“The United of Sir Alex doesn't relate to the United of today and you cannot view current performances through the achievements and style of the former team,” Jenas wrote in the Mail.
“This club is more like Liverpool in the Nineties under Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier, a team adjusting to its loss of stature.
“Take the result against Juventus on Wednesday night, a masterclass from Jose Mourinho and probably the best performance since he took charge.
“It was classic Mourinho: no one gave him a chance; the crowd was against him; the team he was playing had been demonstrably better at Old Trafford; plenty of people wanted him to lose.
“He loves playing the villain. He's still at his best when he has to be a reactive coach, relishing stealing a result rather than being overwhelming favourite and asked to play expansive football.
“And that's where United are at the moment.”