‘Special One’ up against it

Jose Mourinho warned of the troubles that could lie ahead for his Manchester United side, but the Portuguese must still accept much of the responsibility from a 3-2 defeat at Brighton that got the Red Devils’ season off to a bad start.

The concern is now whether Mourinho is capable of turning things around in a way he was not in his third season at Real Madrid or in his second spell at Chelsea.

On those occasions, his fall even came from a position of strength that he is not afforded now, having won the league in the previous season.

This time round, after a trophyless campaign, Mourinho clashed with the club’s board over their failure to significantly strengthen his squad, particularly at centre-back.

His point was illustrated in a disastrous defensive display in which United conceded three times in the first half with centre-backs Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly at fault.

However, the club’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, could point to the fact that £60m (R1.12bn) has been spent on Bailly and Lindelof in the past two seasons since Mourinho took charge as justification for not trusting his manager with more cash.

“The centre-backs melted and you can’t do that in the Premier League,” former United captain turned TV pundit Gary Neville told Sky Sports.

“When Manchester United are so publicly in the transfer window looking for defenders, what belief does that give them?

“They know they’re on borrowed time and Bailly and Lindelof were poor. They are the ones Jose has signed.

“It has been poor recruitment. That back four aren’t good enough to win the title.”

Woodward has hinted that the club has to take a more long-term view. Despite signing a new contract till 2020, the growing feeling is Mourinho will do well just to see out the current campaign. –

‘It has been poor recruitment. That back four aren’t good enough to win the title’ Gary Neville

FORMER MANCHESTER UNITED CAPTAIN AND SKY SPORTS PUNDIT