Jose Mourinho will be next Real Madrid manager if he decides against joining Manchester United says Ramon Calderon

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon remains confident that Jose Mourinho will return to Santiago Bernabeu if he decides against joining Manchester United after the end of the season. The Portuguese tactician was relieved of his duties at Chelsea last December and was replaced by Guus Hiddink at Stamford Bridge.

The Red Devils currently have the services of Louis van Gaal, who still has over a year left on his contract. United sit sixth in the Premier League table with 50 points from 30 matches, trailing fourth place Manchester City by a point. Mourinho has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in the summer as the 20-time English champions are looking to part ways with Van Gaal.

Mourinho was in charge at Real Madrid for three years from 2010. Calderon claims Real president Florentino Perez is keen on bringing Mourinho back to the Spanish capital to replace Zinedine Zidane as the manager at the club.

"If Mourinho doesn't sign for Manchester United, he will be Real Madrid's next coach. I am completely sure of that. If the team doesn't win anything, sadly, we'll be seeing Mourinho on the bench again. That's my feeling," Spanish publication AS quoted Calderon as saying.

"If he returns then we'll be back to the war games, fire-starting, uncomfortable press conference, FIFA, UEFA, UNICEF... That wasn't the best time for the club. Now, without him, there's a lot more peace.

"He provoked a series of conflicts which no one wants and it's far from ideal. The president has been trying to coax him back for the past year, he's tried on a number of occasions. Florentino is going nuts to see Mourinho back at the club. If things don't go well, Zidane won't continue."

Under the guidance of the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager, United have struggled in all competitions, which saw them go out from the group stages of the Champions League and knocked out of the Europa League by Liverpool. Van Gaal's future remains uncertain and his immediate focus will be helping United finish in the top four with eight more games remaining in the league this term.