Manchester United will reportedly ditch plans to offer Jose Mourinho an improved contract offer should he fail to deliver Europa League glory this week.
The ‘special one’ was appointed last summer as Louis van Gaal’s successor as the Red Devils sought to restore their status as a dominant force in English football by hiring a serial winner of trophies.
However, the Portuguese tactician’s debut season at Old Trafford has been mixed. Victory in the EFL Cup final over Southampton is unlikely to cover over the fact that he failed to secure a top four finish despite recruiting the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba last summer.
As a result, United must now beat Ajax in the Europa League final on Wednesday night in order to seal a place in next season’s Champions League.
According to the Daily Mirror, Mourinho has been handed an added incentive of a pay rise should his side emerge from the Friends Arena in Stockholm victorious.
In addition, the report states that there were plans in place to extend Mourinho’s four-year deal when it seemed certain they would finish in the top four of the Premier League but defeat against the Eredivisie outfit will see them hold back on a new contract.
Mourinho, along with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola are said to be the world’s highest-paid managers and United’s owners are believed to have no intention of making their third managerial change since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
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