‘Mourinho signs Evergreen’: Gary Lineker trolls Tottenham boss after giant shipping container chokes Suez Canal

If Jose Mourinho was ever looking for an upgrade to his 'Park the Bus' analogy, Gary Lineker has a suggestion for him after a massive shipping container was blown off its course by a 'gust of wind' to block the Suez Canal.

The Portuguese manager's first spell at Chelsea was notable for the impressive performances Mourinho was able to coax from the Blues' backline, with John Terry and co. conceding just 15 goals on their march towards the Premier League title in the 2004-05 campaign. 

However, Mourinho wasn't quite so fond of opposition defences when they shut up shop against his side and he famously referred to a particularly defensive performance by London rivals Tottenham Hotspur as "parking the bus" - suggesting that Spurs had essentially driven their team bus onto the pitch, parked it in front of the goal and used it as a barrier to stifle Mourinho's attacks. 

Mourinho has been fond of the phrase 'park the bus' in past years. © Reuters

The phrase has since become firmly affixed to Mourinho and a term used to describe battling defensive performances - and the analogy was again dusted off by UK TV presenter (and former England international) Gary Lineker who borrowed it to describe the viral incident taking place on the Suez Canal where a mammoth shipping container veered off course to block one of the world's busiest trade routes.

"Breaking: Mourinho signs Evergreen," wrote Lineker alongside an image of the offending ship.

"Evergreen may not look stylish," a fan wrote in response to Lineker, "but he will stop everything in front of him."

Another joked that the giant ship still "turns faster" than Manchester United's occasionally immobile captain Harry Maguire.

Tugboats and diggers are being used in a bid to guide the ship out of its position after it was reported to have veered off course by getting trapped in a sandstorm after the 400-meter-long (1,312ft) vessel became wedged in the canal.

However, concerns are developing about the impact on local shipping routes as the Evergreen boat has now spent around 24 hours wedges in its position. According to Bloomberg, more than 100 other ships are delayed because of the blockage.

The Suez Canal is one of the world's most-used trade routes, accounting for 10% of the global maritime trade. The canal transported more than 1 billion tons of cargo last year alone.