Manchester United confident 'hungry' Jose Mourinho will stay

Manchester United believe Jose Mourinho remains as hungry for success as ever and harbour no concerns about him being tempted to leave the club, even though there have been no talks so far about a new contract.

Mourinho appeared to flirt publicly with Paris St-Germain in an interview last month and just days later reports emerged that he could leave United amid reputed frustrations over the way the club was run.

The manager has reached the halfway stage of his three-year deal at Old Trafford, but while there are no immediate plans for a contract extension, it is understood United would be happy for him to stay longer. Mourinho does have an option in his contract to extend for a fourth year to June 2020.

United have lost two of their past three Premier League matches, against Huddersfield Town and Chelsea, to fall eight points behind league leaders Manchester City, and Mourinho invited criticism for his perceived negative approach in the goalless draw away to Liverpool last month and a loss of cutting edge upfront.

United have managed only seven goals in their past seven matches after scoring 33 in their opening 11 fixtures of the campaign and City’s start has reduced the margin for error ahead of Saturday game against Newcastle as United chase their first league title since 2013.

But United are happy with the progress being made under Mourinho and believe there has been a clear upturn in performance this season. There is also a belief that the manager has been viewed unfairly because of the form of rivals City under Pep Guardiola.

Once colleagues at Barcelona, Mourinho and Guardiola had a fierce rivalry in Spain while in charge of Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. They are regarded as the two most successful coaches of their generation and, as such, have been constantly compared and pitted against one another.

Yet, Mourinho is United’s third manager since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson 4½ years ago so the club hope he remains long-term, even though his track record shows he has never stayed at a single club for longer than three seasons. United remain relaxed that Mourinho is still living at the Lowry hotel in Salford, a stone’s throw from Manchester city centre, and believe his enthusiasm and hunger remain undiminished after winning 25 trophies in 17 years.

Nonetheless, Mourinho’s remarks about PSG did not sit well with some fans. He had described PSG as a “fantastic” club and claimed his son had recently opted to travel to Paris over Manchester to watch a game because “Paris has something … there is magic, youthfulness and quality”.

Unai Emery’s position as PSG coach is under threat although the Ligue 1 club have distanced themselves privately from reports linking them with Mourinho.

United still hope that Luke Shaw will come good even though the England left-back faces a race against time to win over Mourinho. United are thought to have activated an option in Shaw’s contract earlier in the season that will tie him to the club for another 12 months to June 2019 but he remains a peripheral figure under the manager. A move away in January, even on loan, appears unlikely but a decision is expected to be made on the player’s future in the summer, giving him the rest of this season to show his worth.

United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has raised the prospect of being used in a deeper No10 role, rather than as a central striker, once he returns to action after seven months out with a ruptured cruciate ligament. Ibrahimovic will wear the No10 shirt after vacating the No9 jersey now worn by Romelu Lukaku and could see himself being deployed behind the Belgium striker.

“To me, No10 is the star,” Ibrahimovic said in a video for Volvo. “The one who makes the difference, gets noticed, wins the matches and is the leader. And I see myself in that position but it is not something that is given to you, it is just something you are, that’s just the way it is. I feel like a ten and I stand for No10.”

"I have come this far and I will finish on my terms, not anyone else's," the 36-yer-old said. "I will stop when I want, in the way that I want. I'm determined to return better and stronger than before."That is my goal and it will happen. There are no other options.

"I was not going to let this injury stop me. The will to get better, wanting to do more, never giving up. Daring to take it to new levels where there are no limits."

Meanwhile, United have reported a 17 per cent increase in revenues to £141 million for the three months to Sept 30 compared with the same period last year. It has emerged that the club made £17.3 million through a combination of Adnan Januzaj’s sale to Real Sociedad and sell-on clauses for Danny Drinkwater and Michael Keane, who joined Chelsea and Everton respectively in the summer.