Jose Mourinho is shock favourite to become next Man Utd manager with Southgate and Rodgers also in frame if Amorim quits

Former Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal bosses also in contention

BACK FOR MOUR? Jose Mourinho is shock favourite to become next Man Utd manager with Southgate and Rodgers also in frame if Amorim quits

JOSE MOURINHO is the shock favourite to replace Ruben Amorim as Manchester United manager.

Amorim, 40, has endured a nightmare spell since taking over from Erik ten Hag in November.

6 Ruben Amorim threatened to quit as Manchester United manager Credit: Reuters

6 Jose Mourinho is the shock early favourite to take over should his compatriot leave Credit: Getty

But following Sunday's 2-0 defeat to West Ham at Old Trafford - an all-time record-equalling ninth home loss of the season - Amorim dropped a major bombshell.

The Portuguese boss threatened to QUIT if he is unable to turn the horror show around at United, who sit 16th in the Premier League table on 39 points with two games to go.

And should Amorim walk away, Mourinho is top of the bookies' odds to come in.

According to Betfair, the Special One is a staggering 4-1 favourite to make a stunning return to Old Trafford and take over from his compatriot.

Mourinho, 62, was United boss from May 2016 until December 2018, winning the League Cup and Europa League in 2017 before things turned sour.

United did not win another trophy for six years until the 2023 League Cup under Ten Hag, while Mourinho's only silverware since has been the Conference League with Roma in 2022.

The likelihood of Sir Jim Ratcliffe bringing in the current Fenerbahce boss seems slim, especially given his past history with the club.

Second on the list is Ipswich's Kieran McKenna at 7-1.

Join SUN CLUB for the Man Utd Files every Thursday plus

in-depth coverage and exclusives from Old Trafford

The Northern Irishman - who was a coach under Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at United - is still held in high regard despite being unable to avoid relegation with the Tractor Boys.

And third with Betfair is 8-1 Gareth Southgate.

The former England boss has been out of management since leaving his role with the Three Lions after the Euro 2024 final.

In October, he ruled himself out of any dugout jobs for at least 12 months - but may have turned his back on football for good.

Southgate - who is writing a book, been a technical observer for Uefa and gave the BBC's Richard Dimbleby Lecture - said: "I won’t coach in the next year, for sure. I'm certain of that.

“I need to give myself time to make good decisions. When you come out of a really big role you need to give your body time, you need to give your mind time.

"[Could I return to) club football? Depending on what role that is. I have been fortunate to have worked with fantastic players. You got to have excitement, passion to go to work every day."

Man Utd ratings vs West Ham as Ugarte awful and Mainoo invisible in latest horror show MANCHESTER UNITED dropped to 16th in the Premier League after suffering an embarrassing 2-0 defeat to West Ham at Old Trafford. Ruben Amorim named a strong team for United's return to domestic duty, but not even Amad Diallo could save the day. United gave fans a lively start, but reverted back to factory settings after the visitors took the lead inside 27 minutes. West Ham picked off United against the run of play, before former Man Utd star Aaron Wan-Bissaka came back to haunt his old club. The full-back fed a clever ball through to Mohammed Kudus, who thrashed a low cross into the six yard box for Tomas Soucek to tap home. United got caught cold again and were the masters of their own undoing, after Kudus pounced on Manuel Ugarte's mess up to set up Jarrod Bowen, who doubled West Ham's lead in the 58th minute. Apart from some bright moments from Amad, this was another awful performance from the home side, as West Ham became the SIXTH team to the double over United this season. The Red Devils haven't haven't won a Prem game since their 3-0 win at Leicester on March 16, which incidentally was the last team West Ham beat in February. Here's how SunSport's Katherine Walsh rated every Man Utd star's performance at Old Trafford...

Thomas Frank was linked with the United job when they looked to find Ten Hag's successor and the sterling job he has done at Brentford means he remains in contention at 9-1.

Ex-Barca boss Xavi (10-1), Marco Silva (11-1), Brendan Rodgers (12-1), Mauricio Pochettino (12-1) and Unai Emery (12-1) are all on the list.

And currently at 14-1 is Carlo Ancelotti.

The Real Madrid boss looks destined to leave the Bernabeu this summer after the early Champions League exit and Barcelona set to win LaLiga.

And if the iconic veteran does not take the Brazil gig, he could bring some much-needed trophy-winning experience and aura to the Old Trafford dugout.

Betfair Spokesperson Sam Rosbottom: "Manchester United's season all rests on next week's Europa League final, for Ruben Amorim defeat must be unthinkable given how disastrous this season has been, especially since he took charge.

"If Spurs win, there could be some questions about his future at Old Trafford, especially after he admitted over the weekend he may walk if things don't improve early next season.

"Looking at who could take over, a return for Jose Mourinho could be on the cards, with the special and experienced one leading the betting at 4-1.

"Former United first-team coach and current Ipswich manager, Kieran McKenna is also popular in the betting and is the second favourite at 7-1.

"While there's also interest in the likes of Gareth Southgate at 8-1 and Brentford boss Thomas Frank at 9/1, two managers they have been linked heavily with before."

6 Mourinho won the Europa League with United in 2017 Credit: AFP or licensors

6 Gareth Southgate could be in line to return to management with United a year after leaving the England job Credit: PA

6 Kieran McKenna is second favourite with the bookies Credit: Getty

Click here to read article