Jose Mourinho to decide future this week after seeking assurances from Manchester United

Jose Mourinho to decide future this week after seeking assurances from Manchester United

Jose Mourinho is expected to make a decision on his next job this week with Manchester United a viable option 

Jose Mourinho is expected to make a decision on his next job this week, with Manchester United a viable option if he is convinced that the structure at the club is in place to allow him to succeed.

There is interest from United in Mourinho succeeding Louis van Gaal this summer but nothing has been agreed yet and a deal would be contingent on the former Chelsea manager being given the kind of assurances that he has long sought about stability at the top of the club. He has other options open to him but has made clear that he wants to begin work at a new club as soon as the season ends.

Mourinho is understood to want assurances about the stability of Manchester UnitedCREDIT: 

Whether the United job fits the bill or not will be Mourinho’s decision and he will apply the usual due diligence to the kind of offer he has made. As in the past when he has made major career decisions, he is likely to speak to contacts of his own in the game with experience of United before deciding whether it offers him the best platform to work.

There is no instinct on Mourinho’s part to take a job because of the status associated with the club. Certainly United’s history is not a factor in his decision, as was the case in all his big moves since he began management with Benfica in 2000. His sole focus will be the current-day organisation and personnel at the club and how well suited they are to success on the pitch.

A Manchester United fan makes his pro-Mourinho feelings known CREDIT: ACTION IMAGES

The next 14 days are crucial for the 53-year-old who has made it clearsince his sacking from Chelsea on Dec 17 that he would not be prepared to allow negotiations over a new job to drag on into the summer. He feels that to give himself the best possible chance of succeeding in whatever new job he takes he needs the full extent of pre-season to prepare and organise his squad, as well as sign players.

As for discussions over salary, they are expected to be much less complex. Managers at Mourinho’s level have a threshold they are expected to be paid – in his case currently around £10 million to £12 million annually – and that is regarded as non-negotiable. Mourinho does not consider his value to have fallen since the end of his time at Chelsea, and would point to the two trophies won in the two full seasons of his second spell there.

Jose Mourinho's most controversial quotesPlay!01:11

Mourinho is understood to be keen to get back into management, which was his immediate plan when he was sacked by Chelsea. He soon accepted that was going to be difficult during the rest of this season, and with no appetite from United to sack Van Gaal mid-campaign, Mourinho feels that he no longer wants to wait on a decision on United or any other of the options available to him.  

Van Gaal has been insistent that fulfilling the final year of his contract at Old Trafford is still a possibility, and that it was the club who originally asked him to sign a three-year-deal rather than just two.  Manchester City’s defeat by Southampton meant that United’s draw with Leicester City was a point gained in the race for fourth place with Van Gaal’s team four points behind City with a game in hand.

The United midfielder Marouane Fellaini will find out on Tuesday whether he will face a Football Association ban for violent conduct for the elbow he thrust into Robert Huth’s jaw during the game on Sunday. The likelihood is that the Belgian will be banned for the final three matches of United’s season.

Mourinho sacked: From glee to glum - the changing face of JosePlay!01:02

The United midfielder Michael Carrick said that his team-mates had regarded the Leicester game as chance to take the three points that would have moved them closer to City. He said: “We were certainly looking to win the game. It was an opportunity for us to build on what we had gathered over the last few weeks, so we're disappointed with a draw.

“I thought we came out very well and put them under a lot of pressure and caused them a lot of problems. We got a goal ahead and then their goal came out of nowhere. We are disappointed with that. It was a cheap goal to give away in the position we were in. That is hard to take but I thought we played well. The second half wasn't as good as the first 25 minutes. We are just disappointed all-round that we haven't won the game.

He added: “We will keep going. We have got the games left. We will just look to the next game now and try to win that. That's the only thing we can control and that is what we have got to focus on.”

Man City make £39m deal for Pep Guardiola's first signing: Everton and West Ham stars next

MANCHESTER CITY appear to have completed the first deal in their defensive overhaul with Aymeric Laporte reportedly house-hunting in the area.

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Man City have lost 10 Premier League games this term despite reaching the Champions League semis

The Athletic Bilbao centre-half is reportedly searching for a place in Manchester having agreed a £39.2million transfer to City.

Pep Guardiola has apparently been keen to seal a move for the highly-rated 21-year-old ahead of his own summer arrival at the Etihad.

And according to the Mail, Laporte's deal is expected to be finalised as he looks to move to England.

The France Under-21 international is being chased by Manchester United too, although Guardiola appears to have landed his key target.

How Man City could line up under Pep Guardiola

Mon, February 1, 2016

Express Sport brings you Manchester City's possible line-up under Pep Guardiola

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Is this how Manchester City could line up under Pep Guardiola?

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But the Bayern Munich boss is not content with just one addition to his rearguard.

City are said to be after young Premier League talents John Stones and Reece Oxford too.

The Everton defender and West Ham midfielder are being watched ahead of potential summer approaches.

City's defence has come under scrutiny for some time, even with big-money acquisitions in the past failing to settle.Despite captain Vincent Kompany's leadership at the back, injuries have hindered his campaign, while the likes of Martin Demichelis and Eliaquim Mangala have been repeatedly criticised this term.

Experienced Argentina international Demichelis is set to depart the Etihad this summer with his contract expiring. 

And with Laporte currently out injured long term with a broken leg and dislocated ankle, more reinforcements are in the pipeline.

The Guardian claim Bilbao's Laporte is set to be sidelined until August, meaning he could yet be back in time for the early stages of the new Premier League campaign.

But Chelsea target Stones is being monitored too, despite his own defensive difficulties at Goodison Park this term.

The west London side had a £37m bid rejected by Everton in August, but fresh approaches are expected this summer for the England international.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Hammers prodigy Oxford would be considered more of an investment for the future.

A £10m move has been mooted for West Ham's Under-21s captain, although the club are determined to keep hold of Oxford, who's made seven Premier League appearances this season.

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