5 managers who could replace Jose Mourinho at Manchester United

It all looks to be going wrong at Manchester United. After a transfer window where they failed to bring in any of Jose Mourinho’s top targets, they have made a poor start to the season, and have won just one of their opening three games.

This was always going to be a big season for the club. Last season, they saw their neighbours across the city run away with the title and playing some of the best football that the Premier League has ever seen.

There was a lot of pressure on them to at least close the gap on Manchester City, and play better football than last season, that often left their fans less than impressed. The pressure also comes from the recent improvement from rivals Liverpool, who reached the Champions League final last season and have bought well to strengthen their squad.

It is also a massive season for Mourinho, who is starting a crucial third season. His record in his third season at clubs in notoriously bad, most recently in his second spell at Chelsea, where he was sacked before Christmas after making a shocking start to the campaign.

There are clear fractions between him and the board, particularly after their failure to bring in a centre back over the summer. The questions grew louder on Monday night, when they were torn apart by Tottenham, in one of the most embarrassing defeats of Mourinho’s reign. As he walked off, he stood and applauded in front of the fans for a noticeable period of time, raising questions about what the next step is.

There is a chance that Mourinho is running out of time at United. He looks a broken man, and it looks a near impossible task for him to turn it around. If he does go, here are five men who could be bought in to replace him.

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#1 Zinedine Zidane

Zidane enjoyed an incredible spell of success at Real

No manager in world football has had more success over the last few years than Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman enjoyed a sensational two and a half years at Real Madrid, where he won three consecutive Champions League titles, becoming the first team to do so in the modern era.

However, he left Real in the summer, which came as a surprise to many given the volume of success he had in his time in charge at the Bernabeu. If he were to come to United now, he would be taking over a team in crisis, and make no mistake about it, United are a team in crisis.

It was a similar situation when he took over at Real, maybe not as bad, but the team weren’t in a good situation under the management of Rafa Benitez. He is a winner, and United will want a winner.

Zidane will also want to prove he isn’t just a one trick pony, so the Manchester United job could be one that excites him.

#2 Antonio Conte

Conte was sacked as Chelsea manager in August

This sounds like a strange one, but it almost makes sense. In his first season with Chelsea, Conte was a great success, taking the club from 10thto the title, where they played some brilliant football, and he led a successful transition to the 3-4-3 formation.

Obviously, it was a pretty disastrous second season at Stamford Bridge, even though he won the FA Cup. He appeared to lose the dressing room and missed out on Champions League qualification.

Conte has proved he is capable of providing short-term success, and maybe that is what United need at the moment. Fans may argue that this is not the Manchester United way, but that doesn’t exist anymore.

The second that they refused to give David Moyes time, the United way was gone, so this club is not the same one that Sir Alex Ferguson left. Conte can bring success, even in the short term, so don’t be too surprised if the Italian turns up at Old Trafford.

#3 Mauricio Pochettino

Pochettino has done an excellent job at Tottenham

Over the last few years, Pochettino has regularly been linked with the job at Manchester United. He has done a superb job at Tottenham over the last few seasons and has made them into Champions League regulars, without having too much money to spend in the transfer market.

In fact, Tottenham failed to sign a single player in the transfer window this summer, and they still looked a class above United in the 3-0 win at Old Trafford. He has shown that he knows how to get the best out of a group of players, and that is certainly something that would work at United.

The only issue is, why would Pochettino want to leave Spurs? They are in a much better position that United now in football terms. Harry Kane and Dele Alli have been excellent under the Argentine boss, and it looks like there is still more to come.

He could be part of something special at Tottenham, and it would be a bizarre decision if he were to leave.

#4 Leonardo Jardim

Jardim has bought the best out of his players at Monaco

Jardim’s name isn’t one that has been mentioned much with regards to the Manchester United job, but he might be a man worth looking at. He may not be the most high profile manager in Europe, but he has done an exceptional job at the helm of Monaco and deserves the opportunity to show what he can do at a bigger club.

He has constantly had to deal with the sale of his best players, but he has consistently led Monaco to Champions League qualification. One thing that Jardim has done brilliantly is that he finds a way to get the best out of his players.

He took Monaco to the Ligue 1 title in the 2016/17 season, during which he also took them to a Champions League semi-final. This was despite having a squad that was, on paper, weaker than that of PSG, and many of the sides they went further than them in Europe.

There are a lot of underperforming players in this Manchester United squad, and Jardim might finally be the man to get the best out of them.

#5 Diego Simeone

Simeone is one of Europe's top managers

This may seem like an outside bet at this stage, and it probably is, but there are a number of reasons why United should consider Simeone as their new manager. What he has achieved at Atletico Madrid is nothing short of extraordinary.

In terms of stature, and financially, they are a million miles behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, but somehow, under Simeone, the clubs are in a very similar position on the pitch. He has taken them to two Champions League finals and won the title in the 2013/14 season.

However, there is a feeling that Simeone has taken Atletico as far as he can, and there isn’t much more he can achieve there. He may feel that his job is done there, so he may be looking for a new challenge, and that is something he will get at United.

He has made Atletico one of the top defensive sides in Europe, and that is an area where United really need improvement. He might just be the perfect man for the top job at Old Trafford.