Manchester United: Success, failure and Mourinho’s three-season syndrome
And now United
The situation at United has been brewing over the summer. Mourinho has been openly critical of the club’s transfer policy, with Ed Woodward failing to secure the signings his manager craves. Unlike previous tenures, Mourinho has failed to win a league title at United, putting him under even more pressure than usual going into this make-or-break season.
Another huge feature of United’s summer has been Mourinho’s relationship with some of his players, particularly Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial. Pogba has been the subject of bids from Barcelona, and the World Cup winner has been cryptic in the press regarding his relationship with his manager.
Martial’s relationship looks just about beyond repair, with the manager allegedly not pleased with how long Martial took to get back to training after the birth of his child. These are worrying signs for United. The early seeds for another Mourinho meltdown are all there: bad-tempered press conferences, falling out with players, turning on the board, and bad results with United’s recent 3-2 loss at Brighton.
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Mourinho has already bucked one trend at United by not winning a league title. It remains to be seen if he can buck another, by sticking with the club for more than one last season. At this point, it seems unlikely.