January transfer hopes in doubt
players far and wide are being told the atmosphere is “toxic”.
Alexis Sanchez is the latest to have an issue with the combative Mourinho after the Chile international took umbrage at being made to travel to London for Saturday’s 3-1 defeat by West Ham, only for him to sit in the stands when he was not named in the 18-man squad for the game.
Paul Pogba was again substituted after his chilly glare for his manager in training had been picked up on Sky cameras.
Although Anthony Martial was given a rare start after a row over paternity leave earlier in the season, Mourinho sniped at his lack of defensive work by citing it as the reason why he had to field an extra defender.
Earlier in the week, Mourinho had intimated he did not trust Phil Jones or Eric Bailly in a penalty shoot-out after the Carabao Cup loss to Derby, and there has been a long-running unease about the treatment of Luke Shaw as he has made his way back from long-term injury.
At all of his clubs, form has dipped in Mourinho’s third season, and at Chelsea he only made it to December before parting company.
Zinedine Zidane continues to lurk in the wings, out of work since quitting Real Madrid at the end of last summer.
But there are no guarantees the Frenchman wants to go to Old Trafford either and in the past the club’s owners the Glazer family have been reluctant to swing the axe when things were not working under previous managers David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
But this development will throw further doubt over Mourinho’s ability to turn things around when the transfer window opens in January.