Jose Mourinho was widely reported to be close to joining Manchester United on Monday as The Times reported his agent was due in England for talks on replacing embattled manager Louis van Gaal.
British media have been awash with reports of van Gaal’s demise, after a leak from an unknown source spread as Manchester United lifted the FA Cup on Saturday.
Van Gaal, 64, cryptically commented, “It’s over” as he left the squad’s London hotel on Sunday, but it was not clear whether he was referring to his tenure or United’s season.
The BBC said van Gaal had not been informed whether he was staying for next season, although Saturday’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace was believed to have been his last game.
The Times reported that he is fuming over his treatment by the club, adding that Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes was flying to England to "conclude negotiations" on a three-year contract.
There has been no official comment from the 20-time English champions, although the no-nonsense van Gaal was defiant after Saturday’s Cup final.
“I show you the cup and I don’t discuss it with my friends of the media, who already sacked me for six months,” he said.
“Which manager can do that, what I have done?”
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Despite winning their first trophy since Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, van Gaal’s United did not challenge for the Premier League title and failed to qualify for the Uefa Champions League.
Fans were also unhappy with the brand of football their team played under van Gaal, which many felt ran counter to the club’s traditional attacking style.
Mourinho saw his second spell as Chelsea manager end with the sack in December, after last season’s champions made a miserable start to the their Premier League title defence.
The Portuguese manager may have won trophies in several European leagues but has never stayed at one club longer than the three years and three months he racked up in his first spell with Chelsea.
Some media weren’t convinced about Mourinho’s apparently imminent appointment, who despite his success, has a reputation for alienating players and waging public feuds with adversaries.
If hired, Mourinho will arrive in Manchester at the same time as incoming Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, resuming their bitter rivalry from when they coached Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
But former United defender Phil Neville said even if Mourinho was only at Old Trafford for a brief time, he would bring silverware to the club.
‘A proven winner’
“I can’t see him staying too long at Man United, maybe two or three years, that seems to be his shelf life at a football club,” Neville told BBC Radio on Sunday.
“When Jose finishes at a club it tends to be a pattern where he falls out with a few players, he gets disgruntled and the team dips.
“It happened at Chelsea, it certainly happened at Real Madrid where there were rumours he fell out with a few players.
“It’s a pattern with Jose, he comes into a club, he gets success but he doesn’t stay for too long.”
United have now failed to finish higher than fourth in the Premier League in any of the three seasons since Ferguson retired.
For a club of United’s stature, that represents an embarrassing record but Neville believes Mourinho, who won three Premier League titles with Chelsea, can transform their fortunes.
“He’s a proven winner, a proven champion,” Neville said.
“United fans want a team that will challenge for the league title, not a team that finishes seventh or fifth, and Jose is probably the man for the job.”
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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Torque: 250Nm
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Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
