José's departure

Sans doubt, José Mourinho had been amazing as a player and later as manager and coach. His dream run with Chelsea got him to accept a Manchester United offer that he simply could not refuse. But the dream of taking his new team, once the world's biggest football club, to unassailable heights remained far from fulfilled. At times it looked ordinary even with some of the most expensive players that he was free to hire for the squad. But the loss to Liverpool seemed to be the final straw for both his admirers and critics alike. Not surprisingly, José Mourinho's firing by Manchester United has dominated the news this week, but so too has the Portuguese's eye-watering hotel bill. Having decided against buying a house or apartment during his two-and-a-half year spell at the club, the 55-year-old lived in The Lowry Hotel in Manchester. Mourinho was widely reported to have stayed in its premium Riverside Suite which contains a large bedroom, separate lounge, dining area and small kitchenette. The luxury apartment also offers views over the River Irwell and is decorated with original artwork from acclaimed local artist Alan Rankle. The five-star hotel said that it did not " comment on details of guests who stay with us as we pride ourselves on our privacy and discretion," but according to The Lowry website the suite that Mourinho occupied would have cost $758 per night, with his stay of 895 nights working out at approximately $679,000. Speaking about his plush living conditions, Mourinho confirmed he was very happy in his temporary surroundings. The hotel's website says the suite is for "fun, frolics and hanging out" -- though fun and frolics were frequently off the agenda during Mourinho's managerial hang out at United. The 55-year-old cut a frustrated figure for much of the time and was accused of falling out with high-profile players in the dressing room. He was fired after overseeing the club's worst start to a Premier League season, with his stay bookended by an embarrassing 3-1 defeat to rivals Liverpool. That loss left United 19 points behind league leaders Liverpool. If his former players are reportedly not unhappy at Mourinho's departure, the staff at the Lowry certainly are. Some irony, that. The club has wasted no time in hiring his replacement, appointing former United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker manager until the end of the 2018/19 season. But what about Mourinho himself? Where does the high profile coach go from here? Given his track record, teams like Real Madrid ought to be interested. But are they? Would former Real Madrid coach Zidane be the eventual successor? After all, Manchester United needs someone with the proverbial golden touch.