Manchester United have a big-name replacement in mind if Jose Mourinho leaves

A ball hasn't been kicked yet in the 2018/19 Premier League season but it feels like all is not well at Manchester United already.

Manager Jose Mourinho has spent his preseason grumbling about his players' performances and the lack of summer signings, prompting bookmakers to make him the favourite to be the first Premier League manager to be sacked next season. Mourinho claims that the club's executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, failed to bring in any of the five players who were on his shortlist and he's admitted that his team could be "in trouble" ahead of his third season at Old Trafford. https://www.joe.co.uk/sport/jose-mourinho-has-asked-some-players-to-cut-their-holidays-short-192516

"I would like to have two more players," Mouriho said. "I think I am not going to have two.

"I think it’s possible I am going to have one. It’s possible. And that one I gave a list to my club five names a few months ago, and I wait to see if it's possible to have one of these players.

"If it's possible it's possible. If it is possible good, if it is not possible we keep fighting and working and believing in the players that we have."

While United have thrown their backing behind Mourinho this week, a new report claims that the Red Devils have identified a potential replacement if the 55-year-old doesn't see out the final two years of his contract. The Sun reports that former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has been singled out as United's top target if Mourinho leaves. Zidane shocked everybody by walking away from the Santiago Bernabeu just days after delivering Real Madrid's third consecutive Champions League triumph in May and while he's been linked with a boardroom role at former club Juventus, perhaps he would be tempted to take one of the biggest jobs in football if a vacancy becomes available at United.