Wagner: Mour of a task after Jose axe

DAVID WAGNER reckons Jose Mourinho’s sacking has made Huddersfield’s trip to Old Trafford twice as hard.

The Terriers go to Manchester United today in desperate need of a shock win following five defeats on the spin.

Wagner (above) produced a minor miracle in keeping his side up last season and will have to do the same again this time round.

Town remain stuck in the relegation zone, having scored just 11 times in 18 games.

Few will give them a chance against a United side rejuvenated following the departure of Mourinho and arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on an interim basis until the end of the season.

Wagner admits Mourinho’s axing shocked him, and did his team no favours whatsoever.

He said: “Yeah, obviously I was surprised. I really feel for him. This was not what a manager in general wants to see. I don’t like that managers get sacked, especially if we play that side soon after, like we did against Southampton.

“It’s not the easiest, but like always in life or in football, it gives you a chance and we will see what we can produce.

“For sure we have to play better than we did in the first half on Saturday. We have to come back to recent performances.”

Wagner wants his flops to be brave in adversity and knows these are the sort of occasions the club should relish – because they would miss them if they returned to the Championship.

He added: “Usually these are the games we want to have. These are what the Premier League is about.

“Old Trafford on Boxing Day – I don’t think there are much better occasions than this. We will try everything, even if we know it’s a difficult task. The good thing is we have some experience.

“We played there last year, so it’s not the first time. We know we can’t make any mistakes. You have to create.

“We have to recover from the defeat against Southampton.”