Why Manchester United Should Not Replace Louis van Gaal with Jose Mourinho

Manchester United are not yet in the market for a new manager, but if Louis van Gaal is replaced, it should not be by Jose Mourinho.

When Sir Alex Ferguson announced his impending retirement in 2013, Mourinho seemed the perfect man to step into the breach.

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Indeed, according to Miguel Delaney in the Irish Examiner in February 2014, the United squad's trip to the horse racing at Chester that followed the leak that Sir Alex was leaving was accompanied by chatter about who should replace him. Delaney wrote, "Almost to a man, one name kept coming up: Jose Mourinho."

Mourinho would have been perfect then. He would have strolled into Old Trafford with his head held high, respectful of Sir Alex but full of confidence in his own ability. It may well have gone horribly wrong by now, two-and-a-half years on, but given Mourinho's normal hit rate, there would almost certainly have been some silverware along the way.

Now, though, United are in a very different position and have requirements Mourinho has never proved able to fulfil.

Since Sir Alex retired, United have had one temporary and two full-time managers. They have endured a couple of large staff turnovers and a huge change in the playing squad. There has been plenty of turmoil, and results have not yet stabilised.

However, under Van Gaal, it is abundantly clear that the medium- to long-term future of the club is being carefully considered. The signing of Anthony Martial at huge expense—his initial £36 million move made him the priciest teenager in football history—is a perfect example of this.

Mourinho has never been a manager who builds for the long term. His most recent spell at Chelsea provided a perfect illustration of that. Two of this season's most important players in the Premier League were deemed permanently surplus to requirements. Kevin De Bruyne has four goals and six assists for Manchester City. Romelu Lukaku has 12 goals and four assists for Everton.

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De Bruyne may be a borderline case given Chelsea have plenty of decent talent in attacking midfield, but allowing Lukaku to leave for good seems a huge oversight. He may not have been ready to lead the line for Chelsea when he left for Goodison Park, but he always looked like he would develop into the impressive No. 9 he has become.

The sheer volume and variety of the drama that has swirled around Mourinho's Chelsea this season is another cautionary tale for the Red Devils' decision-makers. In a way, that has always been the bargain when hiring Mourinho. Silverware is close to guaranteed, but so too are rainforests' worth of column inches.

From the Dr Eva Carneiro saga to Diego Costa and his angry bib removal, there has barely been a week of this season in which Mourinho did not prominently and negatively feature in the press.

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Given the forensic level of attention paid by the media to goings on at Old Trafford, this would surely be even more intense at United.

So long-term planning and short-term stability are two knocks against Mourinho. The third key issue is his preferred style of play.

In recent years, he has proved he can be a little more attack-minded and adaptable. His Real Madrid side certainly did not set out to hold onto narrow 1-0 wins. For the first half of last season, Chelsea played some very nice football, with Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard at their skilful best.

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The second half of last season, though, saw Mourinho revert to type somewhat. When crunch time arrived in the post-Christmas period, Chelsea began to grind out results. His most successful side, the treble-winning Internazionale of 2009-10, were a Greece at Euro 2004-level byword for defensive football.

United need a manager who will think for the long term, gambling on some young players along the way, bring a level of calm to off-the-pitch proceedings and, ideally, bring success with attacking, attractive football.

Mourinho, for all his many talents, simply does not fit the bill.