Questioning if Mourinho is the right fit

Comfortably the oddest aspect is how he has been judged by periods in which failure was never likely.

Last week, the games against Shrewsbury and FC Midtjylland seemed to decide whether Van Gaal would be kept on until the summer.

This is meant with no offence to either Shrewsbury or the Danish champions, but victories against that duo provide little indication of whether Van Gaal deserves to stay in the role.

Even worse is the manner in which Jose Mourinho has been allowed to dominate the conversation and essentially decide the manager’s job at Old Trafford is his own.

There is a lack of stability at that club that can be traced back to Alex Ferguson.

The Scot was allowed to build a complete autocracy, and as has been replicated in around the world throughout history, it is always hard to follow an absolute ruler with another, which the Portuguese would be.

There are also doubts over whether Mourinho would immediately bring success to Man Utd, and there should be a consideration over whether the club need to think differently when it comes to the next manager.