By Andrew Warshaw
May 27 – The self-styled Special One is back – officially. Jose Mourinho has signed a three-year contract to become Manchester United’s new manager, already setting up a mouth-watering 2016-17 Premier League season with the last campaign only just out of the way.
Mourinho replaces Dutchman Louis van Van Gaal – dismissed on Monday after failing to qualify for the Champions League – and will be expected to bring the glory days back to United as well as improve the club’s style of play.
Talks which started on Tuesday and were delayed by negotiations over Mourinho’s image rights finally concluded on Thursday and the former Chelsea boss said he was now at the most iconic club in the world.
“To become Manchester United manager is a special honour in the game. It is a club known and admired throughout the world,” Mourinho said in a statement, adding he had always “felt an affinity with Old Trafford.”
“There is a mystique and a romance about it which no other club can match.”
Mourinho won three league titles in his two spells at Chelsea, led Real Madrid to the Spanish title in 2012, and guided Porto and Inter Milan to Champions League victories in 2004 and 2010 respectively.
“José is quite simply the best manager in the game today,” said United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward in announcing the appointment of the charismatic, colourful and controversial Portuguese. “He has won trophies and inspired players in countries across Europe and, of course, he knows the Premier League very well, having won three titles here.”
Mourinho returns, however, with something to prove after being sacked by Chelsea back in December after the worst ever start by a reigning Premier League champion.
And this time he has to contend with his old rival Pep Guardiola, recently installed as boss of neighbours Manchester City and who many regard as just as big a coup as Mourinho if not more so.
Mourinho’s first match at Old Trafford will be on 5 June for Soccer Aid, managing an England team against a Rest of the World side led by Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri. He will then come up against Guardiola during a pre-season tournament in Beijing on 25 July.
Mourinho seems on the verge of making Swedish superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic his first signing but a number of challenges lie ahead. He could certainly do without having to play Europa League football next season while Guardiola’s City are not the only club hoping to make it an uncomfortable return to English football as all of them strengthen during the summer.
Liverpool, who reached two finals in Jurgen Klopp’s first season, could prove dangerous opponents while Arsenal, after finishing runners-up, would love to win the title in what could be Arsene Wenger’s final season. And Tottenham Hotspur, who finished third after an end-of-season collapse, will be determined to prove they have learned from the experience and can put in another title challenge.
And what price Leicester City to repeat their remarkable Championship win, or West Ham to capitalise on their huge financial win of their big new Olympic stadium, or even Ronald Koeman’s Southampton who finished the last Premier League season with five wins and a draw.
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