LONDON — Even when he is out of the game, José Mourinho is up front, on screen and pitching for his next big role in management.

The coach was fired by Chelsea on Thursday. By Saturday, he was prominently seated at the first game to be televised that day in England. And though his lips were sealed because of his buyout deal with Chelsea, word quickly spread that he is in no need of a sabbatical: He is fit, fresh and eager for the next truly big job that might be worthy of his talents.

Mourinho is aiming at Manchester United, and the current manager there, Louis van Gaal, knows it. The fact that van Gaal is a friend who once hired and mentored Mourinho does not assuage the fear that the ambitious younger man is looking for employment.

“Yes, I worry about my job,” van Gaal said late Saturday after his Manchester United team had embarrassingly lost at home to Norwich City, 2-1. “Because I know,” van Gaal went on, “that belief in a manager is very important, and when you lose games, the belief in a manager will decrease. That is happening now. I cannot close my eyes to that.”