October 3, 2018

Popular Irish Bookmaker Paddy Power have slashed the odds on former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers in taking over management duties from Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.

Over the last 24 hours, Paddy have cut the odds of Rodgers in their ‘Next Man United Manager’ market from 66/1 to just 10/1. Other bookmakers have followed suit with the slashing of odds with BetVictor cutting the Celtic boss’s odds down to 12/1.

Jose Mourinho is walking on thin ice after United’s worst start to the season in 29 years. Mourinho’s side sit 10th in the Premier League table with just 10 points after winning just 3 of their opening 7 league fixtures. Matters were made worse after United were eliminated from the League Cup on penalties by Derby County who are managed by former Premier League star Frank Lampard in his first season in charge. United were also held to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in Tuesday nights Champions League group stage clash against Valencia which extended their winless run to four games.

The pressure is building on the Portuguese manager who will line up his team against rival Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United on Saturday. Only a win will be acceptable given Newcastle’s current league position and form but many believe Mourinho’s time is already up.

Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, who is the only manager to win three consecutive Champions League titles, is the bookies odds-on favourite to replace Mourinho, with Paddy Power offer odds of just 8/13 for the Frenchman to swoop in. Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is the bookies next favourite at 6/1 with ex-Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and current Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers both at 10/1. United legend, Ryan Giggs is also listed as a 16/1 outsider.

Brenden Rodgers took over managerial duties at Celtic in 2016 and achieved an undefeated domestic season in his first year at the club. He also led his side to victory in the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup in his first two seasons. Winning the treble on both occasions. However, this season has been a disappointment in comparison and Celtic currently sit 5th in the league table, 5 points of leaders Hearts. The shortening of odds for Brendan to take over from Mourinho is likely due to the fact that Rodgers is expected to be available soon and may be moved on, willingly or not.

If you fancy a bet on Rodgers becoming the next Manchester United Manager, a quick search on the oddsmatcher has found that Betfair are offering the highest odds of 33/1.