There have been plenty of reports regarding the possibility of a former Manchester United player with a desire to take over as the club’s manager over the last few years. Ryan Giggs, the club’s all-time leading appearance record holder left the club this past summer after being overlooked for the job after Louis van Gaal’s sacking, but the Welshman was touted as a potential successor to the Dutchman at several times during a beleaguered second season in charge. Giggs, for the most part, stayed quiet in public given the seemingly toxic atmosphere at Old Trafford when reports of dressing room unrest and dissatisfaction with Van Gaal’s methods were rife but was regarded as too risky a proposition for United to employ after the former Bayern Munich boss’ sacking. Jose Mourinho took the job, and the club and player have since moved on.
But there’s another former player and colleague of Giggs keeping a particularly close eye on the Portuguese’s fortunes at the club, according to a French newspaper. The Daily Express, reporting on news from La Parisien have suggested that Laurent Blanc is hoping to take over from Mourinho if things go particularly sour for the former Chelsea boss. It also states that Blanc is in the running to take over from Frank De Boer over at Inter Milan, but is waiting to see how things develop at Old Trafford.
As reports go, it’s not exactly the most outlandish you’ll read regarding United’s managerial situation. There’s every chance that Blanc is genuinely keeping tabs on what happens to Mourinho at United, and given that his side have only won once in their last six Premier League games, it’s clear that everything isn’t quite rosy in this new marriage. Fans are expectant of United under Mourinho, purely for the pedigree he brings, and the criticism of United and its manager’s failings so far this season has been stinging.
But Blanc might be better off making the move to the Italian club in all honesty because, barring a major internal implosion, United will surely not wish to eject Mourinho from his position. Bearing in mind that we are only just over two months into this new season, and United are still finding their feet after Van Gaal’s damaging two years in charge, the club are surely not going to be in any mood to replace a man that is as close to a guarantee as there is in world football of bringing success to a club. United require that right now, and even if things do not go to plan immediately, the club will remain patient with him as he attempts to fix the issues that have plagued the club in the three years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
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