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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has escaped punishment after a Football Association charge for using foul language was “found not proven”.
Mourinho was charged with using abusive, insulting or improper language after United’s 3-2 comeback victory over Newcastle United on 6 October.
The United manager was alleged to have sworn into a pitch-side television camera in his native Portuguese after the final whistle.
Jose Mourinho's potential replacementsShow all 14 1 /14Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Who could potentially replace Jose Mourinho at Manchester United?
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Zinedine Zidane Current job: N/A Odds: 5/4 A three-time Champions League winner in his two-and-a-half years at Real Madrid, Zidane is the favourite to replace Mourinho. The 46-year-old has proved adept at managing egos and would be a popular choice with Old Trafford's French contingent, though doubts over his true extent of managerial ability remain.
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Antonio Conte Current job: N/A Odds: 10/1 Dismissed from Stamford Bridge this summer, Conte has a proven track record of winning trophies and Premier League pedigree. United, however, may be understandably wary about appointing another manager who has recently left Chelsea in acrimonious circumstances.
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Leonardo Jardim Current job: N/A Odds: 10/1 The highly-rated Jardim led Monaco to the Champions League semi-finals two seasons ago but was dismissed by the club recently after a poor start to the Ligue 1 season.
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Mauricio Pochettino Current job: Tottenham Hotspur Odds: 12/1 Pochettino has never hidden his ambitions to manage at the very highest level and would offer a more attractive style of play than his close friend Mourinho. Snaring him from Tottenham would be difficult but a power play on United's part.
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Brendan Rodgers Current job: Celtic Odds: 20/1 Rodgers appears to be coming to the end of time at Celtic, after disputes with the board. His association with Liverpool is likely to be a barrier to any role at Old Trafford, though.
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Roberto Martinez Current job: Belgium Odds: 20/1 Martinez has restored his reputation somewhat after leading Belgium to a third-place finish at the World Cup. His three years at Everton came with mixed fortunes.
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Carlo Ancelotti Current job: Napoli Odds: 20/1 A safe pair of hands, Ancelotti would - much like his former Madrid assistant Zidane - settle the dressing room and cope well with managing its various egos. His recent appointment at Napoli makes any return to the Premier League unlikely.
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Laurent Blanc Current job: N/A Odds: 20/1 Spent the final years of his playing career at United under Sir Alex Ferguson, Blanc has previously linked with a return to Old Trafford. Out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in 2016, he may have been away from the elite level too long.
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Massimiliano Allegri Current job: Juventus Odds: 20/1 Allegri has enjoyed consistent success with Juventus in Italy, winning four consecutive Scudettos and reaching two Champions League finals. Vowed to move abroad once his time with the Old Lady is done but unlikely to depart any time soon.
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Ryan Giggs Current job: Wales Odds: 25/1 A club legend, caretaker in the aftermath of David Moyes' reign and an assistant to Louis van Gaal. Giggs was overlooked when Mourinho was appointed and promptly left. Now in charge of Wales, he still has much to prove in management.
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Didier Deschamps Current job: France Odds: 33/1 France's World Cup-winning manager would obviously be a hit with a certain midfielder at Old Trafford but whether his style of play would represent much of a change from Mourinho is debatable.
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Diego Simeone Current job: Atletico Madrid Odds: 33/1 Perhaps Mourinho's heir as the finest practioner of reactive, safety-first football in Europe, Simeone has given little indication that he is ready to leave his beloved Atletico.
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Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Eddie Howe Current job: Bournemouth Odds: 33/1 Approaching flavour-of-the-month status following Bournemouth's strong start to the season, Howe is nevertheless a talented, young English coach committed to an attractive brand of football. Perhaps ill-prepared for a job of this magnitude.
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However, an Independent Regulatory Commission panel ruled on Wednesday that the charge against Mourinho could not be proven, in what represents a rare defeat for the FA.
The decision is subject to appeal, though English football’s governing body is likely to wait until the publication of the panel’s written reasons before responding.
Mourinho, who formally denied the charge of improper conduct last week, risked receiving a touchline ban if he was found to have used ‘abusive’ language by the panel.
A statement from the FA read: “A charge against Jose Mourinho for allegedly using language which was abusive and/or insulting and/or improper has been found not proven following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing today.
“It related to an incident at the end of the Manchester United versus Newcastle United game on 6 October 2018.
“Written reasons for the decision of the Independent Regulatory Commission will be published in due course. This decision is subject to appeal.”
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