Jose Mourinho to Manchester United: Portuguese 'turns down other jobs' to wait for Old Trafford chance
The Red Devils fell to a 2-1 defeat to relegation-haunted Sunderland at the weekend, their seventh reverse of the campaign
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Your support makes all the difference.Jose Mourinho has reportedly turned down a host of jobs in Italy and China as he continues his Manchester United charm offensive.
The Independent on Sunday revealed last week that the Portuguese is ‘confident’ of ultimately replacing current incumbent Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford at the end of the season.
The Red Devils fell to a 2-1 defeat to relegation-haunted Sunderland at the weekend, their seventh reverse of the campaign, increasing the pressure on the Dutchman yet further. The Sun reports that Mourinho was contacted by an intermediary of the North West club in the weeks following his dismissal at Chelsea in December
Apparently informing the 53-year-old that he should ‘sit tight’ until the end of the season, when Van Gaal is expected to be removed, United are aware the former Inter Milan and Real Madrid head coach has been refusing offers from elsewhere.
Van Gaal’s side travel to Denmark to face minnows Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday evening before taking on Shrewsbury in the FA Cup fifth round Monday.
Meanwhile, the Dutchman has been forced to defend his decision to sell strikers Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez after Wayne Rooney was ruled out for six weeks with a knee injury.
“Our policy is that we do not have a big squad because if you have a big squad you cannot try out youngsters, and it is our policy to give young players a chance,” Van Gaal said. “I have called Will Keane back into the squad because he has done very well in the second team.
“Jesse Lingard is a second-year pro, more or less, and now he is playing regular football in the first team. Our right-back against Midtjylland [Donald Love] has only played one match for the club but I know from that one match how he can apply himself.
“We have 13 players out injured and, when you analyse them, they are all contact injuries, so it is all down to bad luck.”
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