Philip Neville’s warning to Manchester United over Jose Mourinho appointment
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will demand assurances over summer signings before accepting the Manchester United job, according to former Reds defender Philip Neville.
Mourinho is expected to be appointed this week, with United strongly tipped to sack Louis van Gaal despite the Dutchman leading the club to FA Cup victory against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Neville believes the Portuguese is “probably the man for the job” but warned that Mourinho will want to overhaul a squad that failed to qualify for the Champions League.
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“He’s a proven winner, a proven champion,” said Valencia assistant coach Neville. “Knowing Jose as I do, I think he will have done his homework and he’s meticulous in his planning.
“Don’t be surprised if United in the next month, and particularly before the Euros, sign three or four players and when he gets to pre-season he has his squad already in place. He knows who he wants and at the start he will demand United sign those players to become championship challengers again.”
Van Gaal refused to comment on his future on Sunday other than to say “it’s over” as he and the United team left the London hotel they used for their trip to Wembley.
The former Holland, Bayern Munich and Barcelona manager has struggled to win over United fans during two years at the helm.
Mourinho left Chelsea in December after a disastrous start to their Premier League title defence which included nine defeats from 16 top-flight games and a row with team doctor Eva Carneiro that remains the subject of a legal battle.