Manchester United: Jose Mourinho confirms he will be back in management next season

Jose Mourinho has confirmed he will be back in management after the end of the summer, having been out of a job since being sacked by Chelsea in December 2015. The Portuguese manager had a disastrous season with the Blues after falling out with the players and his team was languishing near the relegation zone when he was relieved of his services.

The Portuguese manager is being heavily scouted by Manchester United to replace Louis van Gaal, who has struggled to lead the Red Devils to challenge for titles. Mourinho is reported to have a gentleman's agreement with chief executive Ed Woodward to take over from the upcoming campaign but recent reports suggest that Louis van Gaal may yet get a lifeline to see off his contract.

The Dutchman has only one year left in his current deal and there is optimism in his camp that if the Red Devils manage to get into the top four or win the FA Cup, the upper management could take a sympathetic view of his failure to replicate the success that United are renowned for. He has groomed a lot of youngsters from the United youth academy, with the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard making the grade in the starting eleven.

With a move to Old Trafford still undecided, Real Madrid have also entered the race to complete a deal for the manager to replace Zinedine Zidane at the helm. The Spanish giants are all but out of contention in the race for the La Liga title and are trailing their Champions League tie against Wolfsburg 2-0, which has forced president Florentino Perez to search for a competent replacement.

Mourinho was the last manager who had led Madrid to winning the La Liga title and the higher management is hoping he can do the job again at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, the Portuguese man is still to decide on his destination but will only go to a place where he is truly wanted.

"I can almost guarantee you that I'll be back working this summer," said Mourinho, as quoted by the Mirror. "I've good offers on the table. At the end of the season we'll know where my future lies. I want to be at a place where I'm truly wanted. I want to work at a club with responsibility, in a hard league, where there're no easy objectives. That don't leave many options."