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Manchester United Stars 'Hurt' by Jose Mourinho Criticism, Feel He Is 'Finished'
October 5, 2018
Manchester United's players have reportedly "lost faith" in Jose Mourinho and "feel he is finished" as the club's manager.
According to the Mirror's David Anderson, a source "close to the dressing room" at Old Trafford said a number of players "have been left hurt by his repeated criticism," which has "undermined team spirit and confidence."
The source added that while the players are doing their utmost to arrest the team's slide, they feel the negativity surrounding the club—which they attribute to Mourinho—is hindering their ability to do so and that "his fate is sealed."
Mourinho offered a mixed assessment of his side after their 0-0 draw with Valencia in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, which was their fourth match in all competitions without a win.
While he praised an improved level of effort from his side, he also criticised their technical ability:
He has also had fallouts with or been critical of players such as Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial in recent months.
If Mourinho has been hoping a tough love approach would coax the best out of his players, he is mistaken.
The coach may have been pleased with his side's intensity against Valencia, but Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News was less enamoured with what he saw:
Football writer Tom McDermott is fed up with the negativity Mourinho has fostered:
While United may have some areas of the team in need of improvement, they're hardly short on talent.
As a collection of players, they don't appear to have been assembled in a coherent manner, but if they were at least performing to their capabilities on an individual level, United would still be able to win more often than not and play much better than they have in recent weeks.
If the Red Devils aren't able to turn things around quickly, it may be time for United to consider bringing in another manager to galvanise the players.