BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand believes that Man United must go for Jose Mourinho, should they decide to sack manager Louis van Gaal.
Van Gaal’s future at Old Trafford has been unclear since early December as Man United’s form took a major dip which resulted in them being knocked out of the Champions League and falling out of the top four in the Premier League.
However, in recent times, the Dutchman has steadied the ship again with the Red Devils winning four of their last five top-flight games. Furthermore, Man United have also reached the FA Cup final following their late win against Everton on Saturday.
Ferdinand, who spent 12 years at Man United, was asked by talkSPORT about the prospect of Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc or Mourinho taking over at Old Trafford and he said that if the club decide to make a managerial change, they must consider bringing in the big name Portuguese.
The former England centre-back said: “I think those two managers, their credibility is sky-high, they’ve won things. I’ve played with Laurent Blanc – he’s a fantastic guy. I’ve been speaking to a couple of players he’s coached and they really enjoy playing for him – so I wouldn’t see a problem with that.
“But also Jose Mourinho, you have to understand, he’s obviously had a blip with Chelsea, but Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola; that’s like Messi and Ronaldo coming on the market. You have to be in for these kind of managers – if they’re on the market.
“The only thing I would say is there’s a man in the job at the moment and he’s got to be proven a bad job or not taking the club forward before you even think about taking one of those guys.
“But if the club decide to go with a new guy, I think Mourinho is a no answer, it’s hard to look past him.”
Mourinho, 53, has been out of work since December following his dismissal by Chelsea. The former Real Madrid boss was sacked by the Blues after a dismal start to the season which saw Chelsea linger in the bottom half of the table.
However, with Man United just five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, the Red Devils will fancy their chances of sneaking into the Champions League spots, especially since they have a game in hand. Furthermore, if Van Gaal maintains the Red Devils’ Champions League status, it remains to be seen if Man United would still then dismiss the Dutchman.
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