Jose Mourinho will be back in management by the start of 2020, reckons Liverpool legend Steve Nicol.
Mourinho has been out of a job since being sacked by Manchester United in December 2018.
The Portuguese has been linked with a shock move to Arsenal as pressure grows on head coach Unai Emery.
Tottenham and Bayern Munich have also been mentioned and Nicol says it will not be long at all before Mourinho is back in the dugout.
“No question [will have a job by start of 2020], absolutely yeah,” he told ESPN FC.
“Christmas time is no question is the time when all the boards and all the presidents all start to figure out ‘Do they need to make a change?’.
“And this guy, since Porto, I don’t think he’s ever been out of work for, certainly not a year, you’re talking months – he’s been out of work for months in a span of what, over a decade.
“So the chances of him getting a job by [the start of 2020] – absolutely spot on, no question.
“It will be a case of ‘Which one does he want?’ because as much as he did make a mess of United, he’s still in demand and he will be in demand.
“I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t have a job by 2020.”
Asked if Arsenal would suit Jose Mourinho, Nicol says the 56-year-old would have to accept a smaller budget than at previous clubs.
“It’s tough to put your finger on [which club] because the one problem he will always have wherever he goes is that he wants lots of money,” Nicol added.
“That means that there’s few clubs that are going to do that and he’s going to have to change his remit in my opinion and if he does that then that opens the door to a whole host of clubs.
“So choosing the club is the tough bit.”
