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Jose Mourinho was once upon a time the man. Women wanted him, men wanted to be like him and everything he said was gladly lapped up by the media and fans – he coined the nickname ‘The Special One’ for himself, after all.

Alas, time has not been overly kind to the Portuguese tactician, who has lost that silver fox appeal he had, with his soundbites now more irritating than they are witty as we’ve all grown too aware of the ulterior motives of his words.

Back in English football with Manchester United after a botched return to Chelsea last season and a few months out of the game, Mourinho hasn’t had the most smooth of spells, with, despite all of the money spent, the club unable to bridge the gap to break into the top four – which was surely the minimum requirement before a ball was kicked.

With the tide turning against Jose, we have put a video together of just why he’s becoming ‘The Hated One’…

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has claimed that only he will decide when his career is over, suggesting that the knee problem he currently has will not end his playing days.

It is the first time that Ibrahimovic has spoken since he suffered the blow during last week’s Europa League quarter-final win over Anderlecht, and in typical Zlatan fashion, he is bullish about his chances of playing again.

The Red Devils released a statement over the weekend confirming that both Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo have suffered “significant knee ligament damage”, but the club did not provide a timeline for recovery.

The Irish Independent claimed before United announced the news that the former Sweden international was dealing with a possible career-ending injury.

Even if the problem is not that serious, it pours doubt over the 35-year-old’s United future as he has the option of a one-year extension, but nothing has been agreed as yet.

The man himself, though, has taken to Instagram to reassure his fans that he is not giving up just yet.

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With Chelsea now just one win away from lifting the Premier League title, attention is about to shift from their performances on the pitch to how the club will fare in the transfer market this summer.

Chelsea may have been the English top flight’s best this season but no side has successfully defended the English title since 2009, so reinforcements are needed this summer if the west Londoners intend to buck the new-champions-trend.

There appears to already be some options on Antonio Conte’s radar, with The Sun claiming the Stamford Bridge boss is eyeing a £70million double raid for Roma pair Radja Nainggolan and Antonio Rudiger.

Nainggolan would be a natural fit for their dynamic two-man midfield, but the notion of signing Rudiger isn’t quite as exciting, so we asked Chelsea fans earlier this week whether they’d back a summer swoop for the latter.

And according to the results of our recent poll, the majority of Chelsea fans – 68% – think the club’s money would be better spent elsewhere. A new defender could well be in order this summer, but it appears Rudiger wouldn’t be a popular addition.

Seemingly safe yet facing a real battle to finish inside the top half, West Ham’s season feels like its over already – and thus, most Hammers fans – and their manager – are already looking ahead to the summer transfer window.

The east London outfit’s recruitment last summer verged upon disastrous but the club will be determined to not make the same mistake this time around, with the focus likely to shift from quantity to quality.

And one such reported target who certainly fulfils the latter remit is Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge, with The Express claiming manager Slaven Bilic has dropped the strongest hint yet that the crocked striker is his top summer target.

“We are going to see. We have our list of strikers. If you go back two or three seasons [Sturridge] was unbelievable. You can still see it when he plays. He plays very rarely but I watched Stoke against Liverpool the other day. He came on and, with a couple of passes, he broke their defence. He split them up with that great pass.”

No doubt, the 25-cap England international is a phenomenal talent and dangerously potent when in top form, boasting 45 in 84 Premier League appearances for the Reds, but he comes with one obvious drawback – his constant injury problems.

Indeed, having managed just 29 top flight outings over the last two seasons, Strurridge’s injury record is comparable to a current West Ham striker in Andy Carroll – an integral asset for the Irons when fully fit, but a burden on the wage bill when he’s not.

So, Hammers fans, would you back a summer transfer bid for Sturridge, or is he yet another crocked star who’ll cause as many problems as he solves? Let us know by voting below!

On Wednesday morning, Birmingham City announced that Harry Redknapp would continue as their manager for another year.The former Spurs, West Ham and Portsmouth boss first arrived at St. Andrews last month, with the Blues in desperate need of some form to ensure Championship survival. The club had been under the tutelage of Gianfranco Zola, who had won just two games in 24.70-year-old Redknapp stepped in following the Italian’s dismissal andÂguided the struggling club to two victories from their last three games, immediately earning hero status among the Birmingham faithful.His first game in charge saw his side fall to a 1-0 defeat to fierce rivals Aston Villa but victories against Huddersfield and Bristol City saw the Blues earn safety on the last day of the season.With Redknapp now confirmed as manager for next season, Birmingham City fans took to twitter to exclaim their delight at what many consider a real managerial scalp…

London’s top Premier League clubs could be on alert after Riyad Mahrez released a statement confirming that he wants to leave Leicester City this summer.

In the statement – published by Sky Sports – the Algerian revealed that he has informed the club of his decision and admitted that the two parties agreed last year that the winger would stay for one more season.

“Out of the huge admiration and respect I hold for Leicester City Football Club I wanted to be totally honest and transparent with them and have therefore informed the club that I feel now is the time for me to move on.

“I had a good discussion with the chairman last summer and we agreed at that time that I would stay for another year in order to help the club as best as I could following the transition of winning the title and in the Champions League. However, I am fiercely ambitious and feel that now is the time to move on to a new experience.”

Earlier this month, The Telegraph reported that North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal could show an interest in Mahrez, while Chelsea were also keeping an eye on the situation.

The 26-year-old took home the PFA Player of the Year award last season for his influential role in Leicester’s shock Premier League title-winning campaign.

Mahrez scored 17 goals and created 11 assists, but he failed to replicate that form this season, netting just six and making three others in the league.

The winger’s statement has sparked a reaction on Twitter, with fans from Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham all considering whether he is worth a bid this summer.

According to reports in the Daily Mail, Leeds United have joined Aston Villa, Sunderland and a number of Premier League clubs in the race to sign £5m-rated out-of-favour Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, despite only signing a new two-year deal with the Red Devils in October, United are ready to sell the 24-year-old stopper for around £5m before the start of next season as he is not in manager Jose Mourinho’s future plans.

Johnstone spent the second half of last term on loan at Villa, and he would have impressed any watching scouts with his performances.

With Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford on the verge of a £30m move to Everton, the Black Cats are looking for a new number one, but they could face competition from Leeds, Watford, Leicester City and Bristol City for the keeper’s signature.

How well did he do at Villa?

He did excellently, and it is no coincidence that Villa boss Steve Bruce wants to sign him on a permanent basis.

The former Preston North End man kept eight clean sheets and conceded 25 goals in 21 Championship games, which included a run of letting in just one goal in eight league matches.

His agility and distribution – he picked up an assist in the 2-0 win against Norwich City – mean that he is now a wanted man.

Do Leeds need a new goalkeeper?

They probably do, yes.

While Rob Green is a consistent performer and arguably one of the most best and most experienced keepers in the Championship, he is 37 years of age and the Yorkshire outfit may feel it’s time to find a replacement for the long-term.

Would they be willing to pay £5m?

While new owner Andrea Radrizzani will want to once again see Leeds fighting at the right end of the Championship table next season after they narrowly missed out on the play-off positions this, it remains to be seen whether the club will pay that much for a player.

If they want to show ambition and make a statement of intent they would, but having yet to appoint Garry Monk’s successor it’s difficult to know what their plans are just yet.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, while Leeds would be an attractive proposition for Johnstone considering the size of the club, the price tag could be an issue and it seems more likely that he would move to Sunderland, re-join Villa or even move to a Premier League club instead.

Rangers’ massive 2017/2018 season gets underway on Thursday night with the visit of Progres Niedercorn to Ibrox on Thursday night in UEFA Europa League qualifying.

For most other teams in Europe pre-season will not have even begun but the Light Blues have been hard at work for weeks now preparing for tomorrow’s fixture and for the European campaign ahead.

Supporters have dreams of making the group stage of the competition, though that will be hard as an unseeded outfit in the later rounds of qualifying.

Progres are not exactly household names and while on paper it may look like an easy task, Pedro Caixinha and his team can’t take anything for granted.

Full application and attitude is needed, though we reckon there won’t be much motivation for the starting eleven with plenty of new faces likely looking to impress their manager and supporters alike.

This is what we reckon Rangers need to do in order to secure their first big result of the season…

Don’t panic

Progres Niedercorn may be an unknown, tiny outfit for Luxembourg but as we saw last summer with Celtic and Lincoln Red Imps, anything can happen in the early stages of European qualifying no matter the gulf in quality between the two sides on paper.

If things aren’t going Rangers’ way in the match, the worst thing that could happen would be for them to be fearful of a shock result and panic.

If the Light Blues play to the best of their ability and remain patient and calm then we have no doubts that they’ll pick up the victory they need to take into the away leg next Tuesday.

Relying on the likes of Niko Krancjar to guide some of the younger members of the squad through the match could be key. Krancjar has returned from injury and has been named in the UEFA squad list. With close to 40 UEFA appearances to his name in his career then he may play a massive part.

Unleash Morelos

Alfredo Morelos’ scoring record for HJK Helsinki is quite ridiculous. In terms of fitness he should be at his peak given the fact that Helsinki were mid-season when he made the move to Rangers.

With 16 goals in his last 19 matches for the Finnish outfit before transferring to Glasgow he is also in peak form and could be the weapon Rangers need to make significant progress in qualifying.

With most of the rest of the squad still getting up to full fitness with the season only finishing last month, Pedro Caixinha should unleash Morelos and play the game through him.

There’s a tendency from managers to play a more reserved style of football in Europe and as such he may go for the more pragmatic Eduardo Herrera in attack, but for us it’s all about the Colombian and giving him a chance to show what he can do in front of what should be a big crowd at Ibrox.

Be ambitious and make a statement

If Rangers are to do anything next season then they need to bring the good vibes to supporters early on. Tomorrow is a massive chance to make a real statement about the coming campaign and we reckon Pedro Caixinha should put out an attacking, ambitious team that can really bring the game to Progres.

We saw the effect that European qualifying had on Celtic last season, after the initial bump in the road against Lincoln Red Imps. Brendan Rodgers had his team winning consistently very early on and it transferred itself into the opening of the Scottish Premiership season.

Caixinha now has his own players and has been working with his team in pre-season for weeks now, it’s time for him to show fans what he’s truly all about rather than the fire fighting he had to do when he arrived at the club in the wake of Mark Warburton’s departure.

A big win on Thursday night would be a massive first step on the road to greatness.

According to reports in The Sun, Everton will complete the signing of Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney this week on a free transfer – although they will continue to pay his £250,000-a-week wages – and Arsenal centre-forward Olivier Giroud will follow in a £20m deal.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Toffees manager Ronald Koeman is keen to significantly strengthen his squad this summer to ensure that they can try and push for a top four finish in the Premier League as well as competing in the Europa League next term, and he has already brought the likes of Jordan Pickford, Davy Klaassen and Sandro Ramirez to the club.

However, the Dutchman isn’t done there and he looks set to bring Rooney back to Goodison Park 13 years after the England star quit the Merseyside outfit to move to the Red Devils, according to The Sun.

The 31-year-old has found first team football hard to come by in the last couple of seasons and he is ready to re-join Everton after being left out of United’s pre-season tour of America.

The Sun says that Giroud will join him in a new-look Toffees strike-force with Romelu Lukaku closing in on a £90m return to Chelsea.

How did Rooney and Giroud do last season?

Despite becoming more and more of a bit-part player and often playing in a deeper role, Rooney still scored eight goals and provided a further 10 assists for United in 39 appearances in all competitions last season.

Meanwhile, Giroud also became frustrated at a lack of first team starts as Alexis Sanchez was often preferred up top, although he ended the campaign with an impressive 16 goals in 40 total outings despite often finding himself on the substitutes’ bench.

Will they be good additions for Everton?

There is no doubt that signing the duo would certainly be a huge statement of intent.

While Rooney has looked past his best in recent years, a move away from United and fresh start could be exactly what he needs to rejuvenate his career, and Everton could reap the benefits of that.

Meanwhile, Giroud hasn’t always been a popular figure among Arsenal fans but his goalscoring record is impressive and the fact that he is a starter for France – who will be one of the favourites to win the 2018 World Cup – mean he could be a huge player for the Toffees if he completes a move to Goodison Park.

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According to Sky Sports News, West Ham United are hopeful of completing the signing of Bayer Leverkusen forward Javier Hernandez ‘in the next few days’.

Hernandez is believed to have a £13m release clause in his Leverkusen contract, and West Ham appear to have convinced the Mexican international to return to the Premier League this summer.

The 29-year-old spent five years at Manchester United between 2010 and 2015 – scoring 59 times in 157 appearances for the Red Devils during an impressive spell in England.

Hernandez managed 33 Premier League goals in his first three seasons at Old Trafford, but was sent on loan to Real Madrid for the 2014-15 campaign, before being sold to Leverkusen in the summer of 2015 after being deemed surplus to requirements by Louis van Gaal.

The forward remains a popular figure with the Man United fanbase, however, and news that the Mexico international is heading for West Ham has not gone down well with the Red Devils supporters.

Indeed, many feel that Hernandez, who has scored 39 times in 76 appearances for Leverkusen, could contribute to Jose Mourinho’s side next season, especially considering that the club are currently short of centre-forwards.