Manchester United have spoken to former Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta and had contact with the club’s current sporting director Fabio Paratici, as the Old Trafford hierarchy proceed with plans to remodel their football structure, amid the growing uncertainty over Jose Mourinho’s job.

The feeling now is that the nature of the 3-2 comeback against Newcastle United has bought the Portuguese time, but executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward had already long become emboldened by plans to introduce a more modern continental model that didn’t place such prominence and importance on a single manager at the top.

Along those lines, United have been interested in putting in place a full technical staff, as opposed to just a director of football.

Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Show all 14 1 /14 Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Who could potentially replace Jose Mourinho at Manchester United? The Independent Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Zinedine Zidane Current job: N/A

Odds: 5/4



A three-time Champions League winner in his two-and-a-half years at Real Madrid, Zidane is the favourite to replace Mourinho. The 46-year-old has proved adept at managing egos and would be a popular choice with Old Trafford's French contingent, though doubts over his true extent of managerial ability remain. Getty Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Antonio Conte Current job: N/A

Odds: 10/1



Dismissed from Stamford Bridge this summer, Conte has a proven track record of winning trophies and Premier League pedigree. United, however, may be understandably wary about appointing another manager who has recently left Chelsea in acrimonious circumstances. Getty Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Leonardo Jardim Current job: N/A

Odds: 10/1



The highly-rated Jardim led Monaco to the Champions League semi-finals two seasons ago but was dismissed by the club recently after a poor start to the Ligue 1 season. Getty Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Mauricio Pochettino Current job: Tottenham Hotspur

Odds: 12/1



Pochettino has never hidden his ambitions to manage at the very highest level and would offer a more attractive style of play than his close friend Mourinho. Snaring him from Tottenham would be difficult but a power play on United's part. Getty Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Brendan Rodgers Current job: Celtic

Odds: 20/1



Rodgers appears to be coming to the end of time at Celtic, after disputes with the board. His association with Liverpool is likely to be a barrier to any role at Old Trafford, though. Getty Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Roberto Martinez Current job: Belgium

Odds: 20/1



Martinez has restored his reputation somewhat after leading Belgium to a third-place finish at the World Cup. His three years at Everton came with mixed fortunes. Getty Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Carlo Ancelotti Current job: Napoli

Odds: 20/1



A safe pair of hands, Ancelotti would - much like his former Madrid assistant Zidane - settle the dressing room and cope well with managing its various egos. His recent appointment at Napoli makes any return to the Premier League unlikely. Getty Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Laurent Blanc Current job: N/A

Odds: 20/1



Spent the final years of his playing career at United under Sir Alex Ferguson, Blanc has previously linked with a return to Old Trafford. Out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in 2016, he may have been away from the elite level too long. Getty Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Massimiliano Allegri Current job: Juventus

Odds: 20/1



Allegri has enjoyed consistent success with Juventus in Italy, winning four consecutive Scudettos and reaching two Champions League finals. Vowed to move abroad once his time with the Old Lady is done but unlikely to depart any time soon. Getty Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Ryan Giggs Current job: Wales

Odds: 25/1



A club legend, caretaker in the aftermath of David Moyes' reign and an assistant to Louis van Gaal. Giggs was overlooked when Mourinho was appointed and promptly left. Now in charge of Wales, he still has much to prove in management. Getty Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Didier Deschamps Current job: France

Odds: 33/1



France's World Cup-winning manager would obviously be a hit with a certain midfielder at Old Trafford but whether his style of play would represent much of a change from Mourinho is debatable. Getty Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Diego Simeone Current job: Atletico Madrid

Odds: 33/1



Perhaps Mourinho's heir as the finest practioner of reactive, safety-first football in Europe, Simeone has given little indication that he is ready to leave his beloved Atletico. Getty Jose Mourinho's potential replacements Eddie Howe Current job: Bournemouth

Odds: 33/1



Approaching flavour-of-the-month status following Bournemouth's strong start to the season, Howe is nevertheless a talented, young English coach committed to an attractive brand of football. Perhaps ill-prepared for a job of this magnitude. Getty

Paratici was a figure they were looking at very early for his successful work in the transfer market, only for Marotta to also become a possibility. The latter has just left Juventus, with a lot of questions about why, especially given he was credited with a huge role in restructuring the Italian champions over the last decade so they are now an example for modern clubs.

Attempting to bring the two as a package would actually appeal to United, with some sources - somewhat ironically - mentioning how it could be similar to how neighbours Manchester City effectively imported the Barcelona technical structure in the last few years.

Italian sources however say that could still be difficult to pull off. Paratici has recently renewed his deal with Juventus, and is minded to stay loyal to a successful project he has played a key part in building.