Jose Mourinho's El Clasico Antics Could Cost Him the Manchester United Job

Jose Mourinho has long been tipped as the man to take over from Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Special One is clearly a supremely gifted leader of men, and one of only a handful in the game who wouldn't be overawed by the task of taking on Ferguson's legacy.

But after his contribution on and off the field to the "El Clasico world series" between Real Madrid and Barcelona, would United and their fans really want him at Old Trafford?

The argument for Mourinho at United is a simple one. He's a winner and has demonstrated his ability to get the best of his teams at every turn in career. He's won the Champions League twice and dominated domestically in three different leagues with Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan.

But Mourinho's success arguably comes at a cost. His teams are highly organized, but fall short on the standards of attacking abandon and entertainment demanded at United.

Against Barcelona, Mourinho's Madrid have set out three times in succession to suffocate. Attack has been almost an afterthought, and it drove Cristiano Ronaldo to such frustration in the Champions League semifinal last week that he tried to win the game single-handedly.

While United are not averse to playing to a more measured approach away from home in Europe, they would surely have been more positive against Barcelona at Old Trafford—and their supporters will demand that they attack Pep Guardiola's team if the pair meet as expected in the Wembley final.

Attack is the United way. And there's not a great deal of evidence to suggest Mourinho could deliver the kind of swashbuckling performances the club's fans have become accustomed to.

And then there's Mourinho the man. In the corporate age would United be prepared to go for such a controversial figure as their next brand ambassador?

Ferguson is famous for his mind games and postmatch rants, but Mourinho's reaction to his team's Champions League semifinal first leg loss last week was a step beyond. His behavior verged on the unhinged and the shameful.

The way he baited Pep Guardiola was disrespectful, as were his attempts to undermine Barcelona's recent successes in the Champions League. They were the actions of man who has such a sense of entitlement he is beginning to lose perspective.

For Madrid fans, Mourinho's antics must have felt like humiliation poured on humiliation, and unless they produce a remarkable comeback at the Camp Nou this evening there will be a groundswell of support for his removal at the end of the season.

If he does leave, Mourinho will not be short on job offers. But will one of them come from Old Trafford?

Ultimately Mourinho could be seen as too bigger risk for United, on and off the field. But you could argue it would represent an even bigger risk to let him go elsewhere in the Premier League.