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Jose Mourinho 'house hunting' in Cheshire ahead of possible Manchester United move

Portuguese said to be confident about taking over at Old Trafford

Friday 08 April 2016 14:05 BST

Jose Mourinho with Valencia owner Peter Lim in Singapore (Reuters)

Jose Mourinho has begun hunting for houses in Cheshire as he plans his life as manager of Manchester United, according to reports.

The former Chelsea manager, sacked in December just six months after leading the Blues to their first Premier League title in five years, has been linked with the Old Trafford job for months.

Who is playing for their Man Utd future?

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1/10Who is playing for their Man Utd future?

Who is playing for their Man Utd future?

Michael Carrick

The Old Trafford career of Manchester United’s second longest-serving player is coming to an end. Last year’s decision to hand him a one-year extension was questionable, this year it would be unjustified. It’s time to call it a day.

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Who is playing for their Man Utd future?

One of the quieter disappointments of Louis van Gaal’s tenure. Rojo has rarely, if ever, put in an above-average performance and cost his team too often. A tournament-inspired signing if ever there was one and likely to go out the door with his manager, who has also disappointed after an eye-catching World Cup.

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Who is playing for their Man Utd future?

Memphis Depay

His season has been, to put it in the kindest terms, ‘mercurial’. Brief, perhaps very brief, glimpses at his talent have been outweighed by truly anaemic, gutless performances. His youth should be enough to dissuade the club’s hierarchy from cashing in but Depay will need to show a serious volte-face in his second season to turn his Old Trafford fortunes around.

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Who is playing for their Man Utd future?

Juan Mata

In truth, if Jose Mourinho takes over at Old Trafford as expected, there may be little that the Spaniard can do to convince his new manager that he should be kept on. His fate, in that sense, may be sealed. Nevertheless, Mata can hardly claim to have fully established himself at Old Trafford and still has a number of doubters. A few weeks in his preferred no. 10 role could do him a world of good.

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Who is playing for their Man Utd future?

Marouane Fellaini

Quite easily the most unpopular man at Old Trafford on any given matchday and this season, that’s saying something. He wants to do well, that’s clear, but he simply does not have the requisite technical quality and tries to make up for it by elbowing people. His time’s up.

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Who is playing for their Man Utd future?

Paddy McNair

Alongside Tyler Blackett, McNair provides the stand-out argument against those who uncritically praise Van Gaal’s promotion of youth. Sadly he, nor Blackett, are good enough and should not have been relied upon so much at points during the Dutchman’s first season. In truth, both may have already made their last appearances for United.

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Who is playing for their Man Utd future?

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson

Surprisingly, the young full-back still has not been tied down to a long-term contract, despite his impressive performances since breaking into the side. Talks are understood to have begun but Borthwick-Jackson’s contract expires in June and his future won’t be certain until the dotted line is signed.

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Who is playing for their Man Utd future?

Antonio Valencia

His brilliant 2011/12 campaign established him as a firm favourite among supporters but his surrender of the no. 7 shirt the year after marked him as a player who sometimes struggles with a weight of expectation on his shoulders. Ever since, he’s been a figure on the fringes and only on the odd occasions that he’s fit. Sell up before his contract expires next year.

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Who is playing for their Man Utd future?

Adnan Januzaj

Packed off on loan to Borussia Dortmund, sent back early after starting just three times and just two substitute appearances since his return. It’s all a far cry from having three football associations fight over your international allegiance. Where Januzaj goes next is unclear but he acts a forewarning to the likes of Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford – consistency, not just youthful exuberance, is needed to prosper at United.

Who is playing for their Man Utd future?

Andreas Pereira

The Belgian-born Brazilian has shown his talent at times but, like Januzaj, seems to be another academy product who’s stalling in the reserves while others prosper. He needs with a loan move to gain competitive minutes, perhaps on the continent, or he risks complete stagnation.

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With United currently fifth in the Premier League and outside of the Champions League places, current boss Louis van Gaal could be out of a job in the summer.

According to a report in The Sun, the Portuguese has employed an agent to find a suitable property in the North West.

It remains unclear what United's intentions are for the managerial job in the summer, with Van Gaal under contract until the end of the 2016-17 season.

Mourinho has long had a desire to manage at Old Trafford, and had been a leading candidate to take over when Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

The move didn't materialise then, although it is still not clear whether that was because Mourinho had already decided to return to Chelsea, or if United chiefs were nervous about appointing the often controversial manager.

United, a point behind rivals Manchester City, in the race for the fourth Champions League spot, travel to title challenging Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

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