5 managers that could replace Jose Mourinho at Manchester United

#4 Julen Lopetegui

Real Madrid CF v Levante UD - La Liga

Mostly recognised now as the man who left as Spain's manager mere weeks before the World Cup was to commence to become the manager of Real Madrid. Technically, he was fired, but it was reportedly because he was discovered to have been in talks with Madrid about a switch whilst he was still in charge of Spain.

Lopetegui succeeded Zinedine Zidane in June but only survived four-and-a-half months in charge. He was sacked in October following a 5-1 defeat in the El Clasico against Barcelona, which was their fifth loss in six matches.

They were ninth in La Liga at the time of his dismissal, leaving many to wonder whether Lopetegui even had what it took to be a manager of a top-tier club.

However, whilst his time at Madrid might have been a nightmare, he's had much success elsewhere with FC Porto, as well as the Spain national side.

Rumour probability: 3/10

Speculation has surrounded Lopetegui and other high-profile clubs in Europe for some time now, and the Spaniard seems eager to find a new club sometime soon. Now that Mourinho has been dismissed, there's no doubt that Lopetegui is to be found somewhere on United's shortlist.

But whether he'll ultimately get the job is a different story entirely, as the calibre of managers potentially lined up for the role could see him cast back to the shadows.