After a terrible start to the new campaign for Premier League champions Chelsea, it seemed like only a matter of time before something drastic had to happen.

As a result, Blues owner Roman Abramovich wielded his infamous axe last Thursday and gave manager Jose Mourinho his marching orders for the second time.

The Stamford Bridge faithful made it clear against Sunderland that they felt that the players had turned on the Portuguese tactician, and it may come back to haunt the Blues with the massively successful coach set to move elsewhere in a bid to rebuild his stellar reputation.

With Mourinho surely keen to bounce back after a forgettable couple of months, here are THREE potential destinations for the self-proclaimed Special One...

Manchester United

No wins in six games, dropping out of the top four and elimination from the Champions League has built incredible pressure on Louis van Gaal.

Manchester United started this season lacking attacking substance but grinding out results, however now that the points have stopped flowing, the Dutchman’s position is under threat.

Despite the fact that Van Gaal has a contract until the end of 2016/17, there will surely be a temptation to send the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss into early retirement given that Mourinho, and in the summer Pep Guardiola, is available.

The Portuguese tactician could well be the man to get the Red Devils’ campaign back on track, while his record of silverware would be a massive appeal to a club still fondly reminiscing about the Sir Alex Ferguson days.

Real Madrid

Mourinho left the Spanish capital on something of a sour note with some of the players and fans, but the former Real Madrid boss is still held in high regard by Florentino Perez.

Claiming the La Liga title during Barcelona’s reign of dominance is not something that should be readily overlooked, while the Portuguese tactician’s availability has been accompanied by vague comments from the Madrid president.

Rafa Benitez’s summer appointment was treated in underwhelming fashion from the masses, while the resultant flat performances, including a 4-0 home defeat against Catalan visitors, has the ex-Liverpool boss on a slippery slope.

The room for error is minimal at the Santiago Bernabeu and it seems like a matter of when rather than if Benitez will suffer overarching defeat in the face of widespread disdain and an almost unbeatable rival across the Clasico divide.

England

Looking at it objectively, Jose Mourinho should be the perfect head coach for an English national team that have failed to live up to their billing since the early 1990s.

Many men have taken on the poisoned chalice of a job, created unruly excitement, heightened expectations and ultimate disappointment.

Roy Hodgson is the current incumbent and has followed the pattern with a flawless EURO 2016 qualifying campaign but he will be judged on his team’s performance in France in the summer.

Should the former Liverpool and Fulham trainer fall short of competition glory, it seems very likely that he will depart the role.

England need a change in collective mentality, a stubbornness that can lead to success and a proven winner to lead the team forward. It may well be a short-term fix, but Mourinho would be the most eagerly anticipated appointment in history for the Three Lions.