This week, former Manchester United great David Beckham told reporters that he wants to see Jose Mourinho managing a Premier League team as soon as possible. Beckham’s comments come amid speculation that the former Chelsea boss is hoping to replace Louis Van Gaal as Manchester United’s manager. Most and if not all online betting sites currently have Mourinho as the favorite to replace Van Gaal.

This season, Manchester United is currently in fifth place in the Premier League standings and the fighting for the final Champions League spot for next season. The team’s dismal performance has made Van Gaal’s firing a foregone conclusion.

After Mourinho was fired by Chelsea, Manchester United fans have been vocal about their desire for Mourinho to manage the team, but Manchester United brass are reluctant about bringing the controversial manager to Old Trafford.

According to Beckham, once Manchester United assesses Van Gaal’s future, the team needs to consider results, playing style and the voices of their fans when they hire the new team manager.

Beckham admitted that Chelsea firing Mourinho after winning the Premier League title last season came as a surprise to a lot of people. Despite the poor play and controversies that led to Chelsea parting ways with their most successful manager, Beckham believes Mourinho is still one of the best managers in the world and hopes he returns to the Premier League as soon as possible.

Beckham also said that the Premier League is considered one of the best in the world because of the great players, teams, fans, and the characters that manage the teams. Beckham believes fans want to see managers like Mourinho coaching in the Premiership.

In an interview with talkSPORT, Beckham said, “Who we have at United now is an experienced manager with a great reputation in the game, and sometimes it takes time. It’s not easy being manager at a club like Manchester United. But, at the end of the day, we have to look at results, we have to look at the way that we play, we have to listen to the fans, the people who matter at the club.”

During the interview, Beckham was asked if he expected Manchester United to go through a slump like the team is currently experiencing. He replied to the question by saying that he had hoped that the team wouldn’t experience such a slump, but at the same time it was inevitable because of the loss of Sir Alex Ferguson as well as the talent the team lost.

Even though Manchester United has been eliminated from the Champions League and likely won’t win the Premier League title this season, Beckham feels the team spirits will be lifted if the team can make the FA Cup final.

While the FA Cup isn’t what players and fans have in mind in terms of success after dominating the Premier League when Ferguson was the manager, it is still a step in the right direction for a team that looked lost in a lot of games this year.

In addition to wanting Manchester United to hire Jose Mourinho, Beckham also said he believes former teammate Wayne Rooney should start for the English national team at the Euro 2016 tournament this summer.