Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is the favorite to be the first manager to lose his job in the new Premier League season as UK bookmakers are betting on a repeat of what's become known as "third-season syndrome".
The 2018-19 season will be Mourinho’s third in charge at Old Trafford and the Portuguese manager has had a tendency to struggle in his third season, ending up in his departure.
Last season was the first time Mourinho has failed to win the league title in his second season at any club and UK bookmaker William Hill believes his third-season syndrome could strike again.
Oddsmakers at Britain's biggest bookmaker have made him the 5-1 favorite to lose his job before any of the other 19 Premier League soccer managers. Mourinho is also just 6-4 to no longer be manager at United by 3pm on the final day of the season.
“Mourinho has spent the entire pre-season moaning and it is reminiscent of when he started to lose the plot at Chelsea,” William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly said. “Should United have a poor start to the season, the pressure will really be on.”
Earlier this month, Mourinho said United's preparation for the new season was “very bad” because some of his top players are taking a break after competing in the soccer World Cup in Russia, The Guardian reported.
Third-season syndrome
In June, Forbes ranked United as the world's most valuable soccer team for the second year running, giving the club a valuation of $4.12 billion, up from $3.69 billion the year before.
READ: The world's most valuable soccer clubs
Having arrived in the Premier League in the summer of 2004, Mourinho left in his third season as Chelsea manager.
He departed after two successful years at Inter Milan, and then left Real Madrid after three years and having returned to Chelsea for a second spell, was fired early in the third season.
150-1 on no departures
Javi Gracia, the Watford manager, is next to go in the betting at 6-1, with Leicester City boss Claude Puel at 7-1 and Cardiff City's Neil Warnock at 8-1.
Newcastle’s Rafa Benitez is also 8-1, Mark Hughes is at 12-1 to lose his job at Southampton first, Manuel Pellegrini of West Ham is at 14-1 and Everton’s Marco Silva and Nuno Esperito Santo of Wolves are at 20-1.
Behind them, Crystal Palace’s Roy Hodgson is at 40-1, Chris Hughton of Brighton and Huddersfield’s David Wagner and Fulham’s Slavisa Jokanovic are at 50-1, Eddie Howe of Bournemouth and Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino are at 66-1 and Sean Dyche of Burnley is at 80-1.
New Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri is at 80-1 to go first, Liverpool’s Juergen Klopp and Pep Guardiola of Manchester City and new Arsenal manager Emery are all 100-1 while it is 150-1 that no manager leaves all season.
