Already the clock is ticking for Jose Mourinho

For all of soccer’s status as a global game, the pool of its top managers is relatively small and the world’s leading clubs often have the feel of a tiny, gossiping village with a managerial merry-go-round on the central green.

Manchester United are replacing Louis van Gaal with his former assistant Jose Mourinho, a man Chelsea no longer wanted, and one who has frequently clashed with new Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

Manchester’s new double act will also have on their radar Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger — who struggles to hide his disdain for Mourinho — champions Leicester’s Claudio Ranieri and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, who was Guardiola’s main adversary in Germany.