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Man Utd news: BBC Sport pundit reveals when he expects Jose Mourinho to be SACKED
JOSE MOURINHO will keep his job as Manchester United manager until the end of the season, but may get the sack afterwards.
Man United: Mourinho WANTS the sack says Jake Wood
That is according to former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin.
Mourinho’s job security has been under question this season as continuous dressing room rifts, digs at the board and poor results have dominated the headlines of United’s season.
It was reported before United’s 3-2 win over Newcastle in October that the Portuguese, whose contract expires in June 2020, would be sacked regardless of the result.
A string of dogged comebacks seemingly weathered the storm, but not even a coastal redwood could paper over the cracks at Old Trafford.
I still think Mourinho will be there until the end of the season, I'm convinced on that
Mourinho is fancied by the bookies as the next Premier League manager to leave his post, but Nevin believes the wily 55-year-old will stay until the end of the season at least.
"I still think Mourinho will be there until the end of the season, I'm convinced on that,” the pundit told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“But next season, I wouldn't put quite so much money on it."
Mourinho has managed to steer his side into the knockout stages of the Premier League, but even that campaign ended on a sour note on Wednesday night with an apathetic 2-1 loss to Valencia.
United, who are sixth in the Premier League, face table-toppers and bitter rivals Liverpool on Sunday and could be 19 points adrift from the league’s summit if they lose at Anfield.
"It's that distance that's been opened up between the top five and everybody else," Nevin added.
"I expected it to be a top six but that gap would look like a chasm if they don't get anything out of the game.
“[They need] at least a point. It's fingernails stuff.
"Less than that and you are talking about losing the chance of Champions League football for next season this early on and that's a really tough one for Manchester United to take.”
Mourinho was critical of his United players after their performance in Spain in midweek, where he made eight changes from the team that beat Fulham 4-1 last Saturday.
"Nothing that happened surprised me at all," said Mourinho when asked if he had learned anything about his players.
"I didn't learn anything from this game. I expect (better) from my players.
“Especially players that week in, week out, you ask me: ‘Why don't they play? Why they don't they start?’”