Was Mourinho the right choice for Manchester United?

Did Manchester United make the right choice in Jose Mourinho? Or did they overlook the right man for the job? 

The Premier League season of 2016/17 promises to be an exciting one for a variety of reasons. We have the defending champions of Leicester City who will have the eyes of the world on them wondering if they can once again create sporting history domestically and on the continent.

But we are also encountering another first; a season where the managers are bigger superstars and prima donnas than any of the players (excluding maybe only the vastly overrated Raheem Sterling).

Pep Guardiola brings all his medals and experience to the blue side of Manchester with the jury still out on whether or not he is capable of achieving greatness without being handed an elite group of players from the outset. I’d say he isn’t too worried considering the unlimited funds at his disposal.

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Antonio Conte will bring his wealth of experience, outright passion and ability to make the mediocre into overachieving heroes to a Chelsea side desperate to prove they are still relevant.

And then there is Jose Mourinho, whose appointment must truly frustrate any true Manchester United fan. The Red Devils have had a “rough” time of it since the retirement of arguably the greatest coach in British footballing history, Sir Alex Ferguson and this appointment shows it better than anything else. But that doesn’t mean that it was necessary.

Even thinking back to the previous two managers, David Moyes wasn’t given a fair chance and Louis Van Gaal was as dull as the day is long. So Manchester United turn to “the special one” to save the club.

One has to wonder if Ed Woodward and the Glazers would have gone this route if City and Chelsea hadn’t announced their galacticos barely after the halfway point of last season. United have chosen to go for instant gratification and bring back all the band wagon fans that were lost, for merchandise sales presumably, ignoring the loyal fans favorite that has been waiting patiently in the wings: Ryan Giggs.

Ryan Giggs joined United at the age of 14 and by 17 was already setting our hearts ablaze. He was Fergie’s favorite, is our most decorated player, interim manager, assistant manager and was no doubt given a handshake agreement that he would be next in line for the throne when Van Gaal departed.

Consider this: This year’s champions league final saw two former players in Zinedine Zidane and Diego Simeone at the helm of their teams. Both managers which were considered high risk but were chosen for their decorated playing career, knowledge of the game and passion for the team. Both had very similar relationships with their respective clubs as Ryan Giggs has/had with United and there’s plenty of reason to believe his passion could have driven United to similar results. But now we’ll never know.

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Manchester United are a dynasty, and that didn’t happen by setting short-term goals. Alex Ferguson took charge in 1986 and it took him 7 years to bring the league title back to the Theatre of Dreams after a 26 year wait. He recognized something special in Ryan Giggs and made a special effort to take the “welsh wizard” famously kicking the players front door down to break up a party and selling the talented Lee Sharp for being a bad influence.

It seems to me that the appointment of “The Special One” is Manchester United looking for the quick fix that we fans have mocked other teams for in years past. As illustrated by the clubs willingness to pay a 34-year-old who has never played in a league even half as physical as the premier league a whopping £200k per week.

It feels like, even if Manchester United win the Premier League this year, true supporters will still have a bitter taste in their mouths at the thought of what they could have built for the future