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Jose Mourinho Is Reportedly 'Hanging Onto Manchester United Job By A Thread'

Jose Mourinho Is Reportedly 'Hanging Onto Manchester United Job By A Thread'

Man Utd staff are said to be preparing for life after Mourinho after a week in which they drew with Wolves and lost to Derby and West Ham

Mike Wood

Mike Wood

Jose Mourinho might be hanging onto his job by a thread, if reports coming out of the Manchester United training staff are to be believed.

The beleaguered Special One has endured a horror week at Old Trafford, struggling to a one-all draw with newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers, a Carabao Cup exit on penalties at home to Championship side Derby County and then a dispiriting 3-1 defeat to West Ham United on Saturday lunchtime.

PA

Moreover, he is locked in a battle with his star player, Paul Pogba, having been snapped arguing with the French midfielder at training on Thursday morning.

Staff are said to be preparing for life after Mourinho, having openly discussed his departure on the train back up to Manchester following the loss to West Ham, according to the Mail on Sunday.

Mourinho was the centre of attention after the match, with his future being speculated upon by the pundits in the wake of the West Ham match.

"I think there are some big decisions to be made at Manchester United now," said United great Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport directly after the loss at the Olympic Stadium in London.

via GIPHY

"I think the hierarchy and the people who run the club, people like [executive chairman] Ed Woodward, are having conversations at that level as to where they go from here.

"At the moment there doesn't seem to be that togetherness in the changing room. Decisions on the manager, the squad, how they are going to take this club forward. There has to be improvements."

United legend Paul Scholes backed up his former teammate, adding: "It's probably as bad as you'll see from a United team for quite some time.

"We spoke about attitude before the game. It's been questioned over the last four weeks and today it has to be questioned again. The hunger and desire to get against people just wasn't there."

Mourinho did not hang around to talk to media, answering just three questions at the post-match press conference before making his exit.

He used his brief interaction with the press to rail against the lack of VAR in the Premier League, in response to the first West Ham goal, in which scorer Felipe Anderson was offside.

"It was an offside goal," said Jose. "No VAR. Last Tuesday, VAR. [In the League Cup against Derby County] The goal would be disallowed. No VAR. The linesman made his mistake and we were punished with that goal and I think the team felt it deeply."

He also complained about a foul in the build up to West Ham's third, which was scored by Marco Arnautovic.

"This time, it was not a linesman mistake, it was a referee mistake," said Mourinho. "So OK this time it was a foul. Zabaleta doesn't see the ball. Zabaleta only goes for Marcus Rashford. The referee decides in the other way."

He also criticised his own team, calling out Alexis Sanchez (who didn't start) and his side's defending.

"We were not good enough to stop the counter-attack. We're not very good in transition. We are not a team that is very good when we lose possession and the other team counter-attacks."

"I want to play [Anthony] Martial, something that you are asking for a long, long time," said Jose, referring to journalist who had asked him to include the Frenchman.

"I left Alexis out. I think that Martial is not a player very, very focused on defensive duties. To play him as a second striker and trying just to cover the area of [Declan] Rice would be much easier for him and at the same time, I feel that we need quality on the ball building up from the back and Scott McTominay has that quality with the ball."

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