Jose Mourinho ‘needs to handle Manchester United for a second time’

Jose Mourinho would reportedly love to manage Manchester United for a second time and has told confidants he would willingly ‘walk’ to Old Trafford to do so.

The Portuguese, 61, was in charge of United between the summer of 2016 and December 2018, winning the EFL Cup and the Europa League in his first season before an acrimonious departure.

Mourinho is a friend of United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and, according to the Manchester Evening News, would gladly accept the opportunity to return.

However, the club doesn’t want to reappoint Mourinho, who isn’t expecting an approach anytime soon. Mourinho left Roma – his second job post-United – back in January.

It comes as Erik ten Hag‘s future as United boss comes under even greater scrutiny following Monday night’s abysmal 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.

Jose Mourinho has reportedly told confidants he would love a second spell at Man United 

The pressure continues to mount on United boss Erik ten Hag after a 4-0 loss at Crystal Palace

United’s 13th league defeat of the season – a record in the post-1992 era – left them eighth in the Premier League table, with European football next season not guaranteed.

Ten Hag can still deliver the FA Cup, with United set to meet Manchester City at Wembley on May 25, but it may not be enough to save his job as Ratcliffe and Ineos consider his future.

United have assessed potential replacements for Ten Hag, who won the Carabao Cup and guided the team back into the Champions League last season before slipping backwards.

Mourinho succeeded another Dutchman, Louis van Gaal, just after he’d won United the FA Cup in 2016.

On Monday night, Ten Hag compared the lack of fight in his team to the spirit shown by their supporters as he branded the woeful performance ‘not good enough by far’.

‘It’s clear and obvious this is under-performing. We should have kept fighting like the fans did,’ said the United boss.

‘It was not correct, making big mistakes, not following the plan, the script and the rules we have. Of course, also individual mistakes, but then we should cover each other, and we didn’t do. We let each other down and you get the worst defeat.’

Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right), Sir Dave Brailsford (left) and Ineos must make a decision over Ten Hag

Mourinho guided United to success in the 2016-17 Europa League during his first spell there

But things unravelled quickly for the Portuguese before he left United in December 2018 

Ten Hag insisted that he remains the man to take United forward in the face of a crippling injury crisis. 

‘Absolutely,’ he said. ‘If the right players are there and available, we have a good squad.

‘I will keep fighting. I prepared the team in the best way I could do. At the end of the day, I have to do it with the players that are available.’

Asked if it was the low point of the season, he replied: ‘Yes, it was very poor. How we gave the goals away and especially, easy giveaways and it shouldn’t happen.’