Jose, United and the sliding doors season that never was

What if Jose Mourinho had succeeded Alex Ferguson in 2013? Miguel Delaney on Old Trafford’s alternate history Oat x

- Miguel Delaney

It was perhaps the first sign of things to come: failure for Manchester United, frustration for Jose Mourinho. And this was way before the Portuguese actually went to the club. That febrile period from 2016 to 2018 is obviously going to be brought up a lot as Mourinho’s Fenerbahce take on his old club in the Europa League this evening, but of more interest is perhaps what happened in May 2013. And, what might have happened.

There is a lot of myth and rumour swirling around that period, when Alex Ferguson retired, which is perhaps how the Portuguese prefers it. He was seen as a nearly man, the rejected, overlooked for David Moyes.

The truth is that the United hierarchy did actually make an approach for Mourinho in that earth-shattering period. That was despite Bobby Charlton being completely against the idea, and Ferguson not exactly warm to it. The approach never created tension, though, because Mourinho had already struck a deal to return to Chelsea. Numerous sources say he was dejected when he found out he’d missed a chance to take over at Old Trafford.

The real question in all this, however, is whether it might have led to much more happiness at United had they managed to get Mourinho in 2013 rather than 2016. The latter was an act of desperation because Manchester City got Pep Guardiola. It was also a marriage of convenience that was always awkward, accentuated because Mourinho was coming out of a disastrous season at Chelsea which illustrated the start of decline.

This was not the case in 2013. There is admittedly an argument that Mourinho was never right for United. His tactics and personality always seemed to fit defiant upstarts rather than the grandest clubs in the game.

It is that personality, however, that could have solved the first big problem United faced after Ferguson. He could have filled a vacuum. Mourinho might never have been right for the club but 2013 might well have been the one moment where it made sense.