Mourinho Snubbed As Man Utd Opt For Giggs As van Gaal’s Successor

Jose Mourinho is resigned to missing out on the Manchester United job with the Red Devils expected to stick with their original plan of appointing Ryan Giggs as Louis van Gaal’s successor, according to the Mirror.

United have endured an inconsistent season under van Gaal with frustrated fans calling for the Dutchman to be sacked following hugely disappointing defeats to Sunderland and Midtjylland last month.

At that time, speculation was intensifying suggesting the United board were already lining-up potential managerial replacements with the Daily Mail claiming last month that Mourinho had told close friends his move to Old Trafford was a ‘done deal’.

However, it looks like those reports could have been a little premature as the Mirror are now reporting today Mourinho has resigned himself to the fact that United will stick by van Gaal for next season and appoint Giggs as his eventual successor.

The newspaper suggests that senior members of the United board have concerns over’s Mourinho’s reluctance to give youth a chance and fear that the clubs long-standing philosophy of promoting homegrown players will be lost under the Portuguese coach.

United have a proud record of developing their own players with a homegrown player being named in every match day squad since October 1937 and van Gaal has continued that tradition having given several academy stars their first team debuts this season.

Mourinho on the other hand has no record of showing trust in youth and has instead relied on bringing in experienced star names to create title winning teams during his time at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

The Portuguese was criticised for shipping out several promising Chelsea youngsters on loan instead of giving them a chance in the first team and it’s this reluctance to put his trust in youth that looks set to see him miss out on the United job.

If the Mirror’s report is accurate, then there is likely to be discontent among the United fanbase with many already planning for life under serial-winner Mourinho next season and they won’t be happy with the idea of enduring another year under van Gaal.

Although United have recently turned something of a corner with four consecutive wins in all competitions seeing their hopes of a top four finish boosted while they’re also through to the next stages in the FA Cup and Europa League.

van Gaal is a likable character and if United can finish in the top four and even win a cup, then it might just tempt the owners to stick with the 64-year-old for the final year of his contract and appoint Giggs as his successor in 2017.