When Sir Alex Ferguson decided it was his time to walk away from the dugout at the end of the 2012/13 season he did so in the only way befitting of his career; as a champion. Manchester United had just become the first, and to this point only, team in English football history to capture 20 top flight titles on the back of talismanic, former-Arsenal captain Robin van Persie’s 26 league goals. Theirs was a veteran squad that had still relied heavily on stalwarts such as; Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic and Michael Carrick, all of whom were the wrong side of 30. Even Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes had appearance totals in the double digits. Ferguson may have left on top, but the squad he left behind was an aging one.
Ferguson himself would likely argue that he had left behind plenty of youth prospects, in true United tradition, who had the potential to shape the future of the club. The likes of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Rafael, Chicharito, Tom Cleverly, Danny Welbeck and Jonny Evans, all of whom were in their early to mid-20‘s, had appearances in the double digits for the club in a title-winning season. And when you consider that they had the likes of Alexander Büttner, Jesse Lingard, Adnan Januzaj and Wilfried Zaha waiting in the wings for a chance in the first team, the future looked pretty bright at Old Trafford. Yet for all that promise, David Moyes and Louis van Gaal have failed to see the same quality in the club’s youth that Ferguson did. Of the players mentioned, only Jones, Smalling, Lingard and Januzaj (who was recalled in January after a disastrous half-season on loan at Dortmund) remain at the club.
Much has been made of United’s spending spree, particularly under van Gaal, since the departure of their most successful manager because of the sheer volume of players bought and the amount of money spent. The destruction of all traces of Ferguson’s identity within the current squad is something that has also been well covered: Just ask Rene Meulensteen about it. Their present situation is that of a ship adrift after losing it’s captain. And they are in danger of fulfilling every United fan’s worst nightmare; becoming something on par with post-1990 Liverpool. So where does the biggest club in English football go from here? Many seem to think the answer lies with Jose Mourinho.
Since his acrimonious departure from Chelsea in December, Mourinho has maintained a stark level of radio silence given his normal propensity to peddle his opinion to whoever will listen. There have been murmurs from unnamed sources and supposed discussions between Mourinho’s “people” and several clubs including Paris Saint Germain, United and Inter. Then there came the reports of a 6 page letter, written by the Portuguese, detailing his plans for United as well as promises that he would not be the same brash, controversial figure he has been at every other club he has managed. Since that point, reports that he is to inherit the managerial post at Old Trafford have only intensified with the departure of Louis van Gaal in the summer (at the latest) seeming to be a mere formality.
Mourinho has since denied that he wrote said letter, but for the sake of argument, we’ll exist in a World where he did and he is going to get the job. So what could we expect of a Mourinho-led United? Many fans of the club have come out in support of the idea, even selling Mourinho scarves before recent home games. On the surface, it makes sense; he is one of the few managers in the modern game who could stack up anywhere near Ferguson’s ballpark in terms of silverware. And he has won trophies at every club he has managed. These last 6 months notwithstanding, you would be hard pressed to find a more successful manager in the modern game. United fans who don’t remember anything before 1991 are accustomed to certain expectations of their team; that they are to win everything, all of the time. And in that regard, Mourinho would certainly fit the bill, as a short term fix at least.
Yet, beyond the simple trophies argument, there isn’t much else that makes sense about this potential move. One of the main qualms United fans and legends alike have had since the departure of Sir Alex is that the club no longer plays football the “United way.” Perhaps this issue is amplified because of the lack of results, but clubs like United don’t just have to win, they have to win with style. Winning ugly is all very well at clubs like Chelsea (who were never consistent contenders prior to 2004) or Inter (who are Italian), but as van Gaal has found out, managing United means there are expectations of an attacking, exciting brand of football that Mourinho is yet to deliver consistently over the course of one full season let alone multiple.
The easiest comparison to make here would be Mourinho’s time at Real Madrid. Despite the fact that his side is the only Real team to have won the Liga BBVA in the last 8 years, his relationship with the Madridistas was fractured at best. His defensive-minded, counter-attacking football never quite caught on. And when you coupled that with his decisions to drop a club legend in Iker Casillas at times, or his fall out with team doctor Juan Carlos Hernandez (in case you thought Eva Carneiro was an isolated incident), or his bizarre decision to poke Tito Vilanova in the eye, you begin to see why Real fans weren’t exactly rioting in the streets upon his exit.
But the “United way” isn’t just defined by attacking football. Theirs is a club that has always maintained a belief in youth development and giving homegrown players a chance. That ideal has certainly been decimated under van Gaal but Mourinho hardly has a track record of developing any young players, much less homegrown ones. Mourinho loves to buy squads of players ready made to win immediately, but very little consideration is given to the long term. One only needs to peruse through his transfer record, as well as the records of his teams after his many departures to see that he doesn’t set a team up to be good for very long. Even his last stint at Chelsea, which he insisted was a long term project, lasted 2 and a half years and the team now finds itself 12th in the league and in need of significant investment. Again.
Manchester United is a club craving stability and a return to type now after 3 years of unrest. While Jose Mourinho might be able to deliver trophies at something similar to the rate Sir Alex Ferguson achieved over a much shorter period, there is too much other baggage that comes along with the Portuguese to suggest that he is the man to satisfy the purists around the club and restore it, in full, to the glory days. You want someone who develops young players? Then hire Mauricio Pochettino. You want high-tempo, attacking football? Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp were both on the market recently. The important thing to note here, though, is that Mourinho isn’t really a viable answer to either of those questions. If the higher ups at Old Trafford think he is, the club could be setting itself further adrift.