Neville slams ‘dissent’ by United chief

gARy nEVILLE hit out last night at Manchester United chief Ed Woodward for a ‘show of dissent’ against Jose Mourinho after the club’s shock defeat by Brighton. Woodward sat stony-faced for some time in the directors’ box at the Amex stadium on sunday before going to the away dressing room to speak to the beaten United players. neville believes the public display only highlighted tensions between the old Trafford hierarchy and Mourinho at the end of a difficult summer. ‘He sat in his spot for two minutes after the game in what I can only describe as something that I don’t want to see the CEo of Manchester United do,’ the sky sports pundit said. ‘At the end of the game, stand up, shake the opposition CEo’s hand, smile, be bigger than anything and get into the back. ‘All I could see was a show of frustration but it could also be

interpreted as another show of dissent. ‘at the moment there is definitely an angst there between the club and Jose.’ the former United defender believes Woodward has already let the manager down by not signing a defender before the transfer deadline, despite paying £75million for Fred, Diogo Dalot and lee Grant. United’s executive vicechairman has spent nearly £400m since appointing Mourinho two years ago, but was reluctant to pay what he felt were inflated prices for leicester’s harry Maguire, Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng and toby alderweireld of tottenham. however, neville believes Woodward should have backed Mourinho again after giving him a new contract in January. ry. ‘it’s painful to think how it’s played out these last five or six years,’ he added. ‘if ed Woodward was going to doubt Jose Mourinho, then the e time to be doubting ng him was last January. ary ‘the minute he gave Jose Mourinho a contract extension — which some would say was unnecessary part-way through a season — he had to then buy him the centre backs. ‘he had to get him Maguire, he had to get him alderweireld, because they wouldn’t have made those mistakes (at Brighton). ‘if it cost £120m to bring them in, then that’s what you have to do. ‘it’s been messy these last couple of weeks. Jose announced a week last Friday that he might as well be called a head coach. What he was saying to us was basically, “i’ve just been given the players i’m told to work with now”. ‘Don’t get me wrong, the club have given him a lot of money but don’t three-quarters build a house. they had to finish it if they were going to give that contract extension.’ United are understood to be looking at appointing a director of football to oversee the club’s recruitment policy. after struggling in the period since Sir alex Ferguson’s retirement five years ago under David Moyes, louis van Gaal and now Mourinho, neville believes it is time Woodward let a more experienced football man do the job while he focuses on the business side of the club. ‘Football has changed,’ said neville. ‘there are heads of recruitment and sporting directors. there is a series of people in the best operating football clubs in the world — Bayern Munich and i’ll put Manchester City in that unfortunately. ‘What Manchester United have been bee doing for the last fi five or six years is bas basically bouncing fro from one strategy t to another. ‘ ‘the minute you sack David Moyes halfway through the season, louis van Gaal after an Fa Cu Cup win, appo appointing Jose Mourin Mourinho, the whole traditions of Manchester United have gone.’ Mourinho is the bookmakers’ favourite to become the first Premier league boss to be sacked this season. however, United backed the 55-year-old boss last night and insisted no contact has been made with Zinedine Zidane over replacing him. it comes amid speculation in France that Zidane is interested in the job, three months after beating liverpool in the final to seal a hat-trick of Champions league titles for real Madrid, then quitting as boss. But a senior old trafford source insisted last night that Mourinho has the club’s full backing and dismissed the Zidane reports, saying: ‘Why would we discuss him when there is no job available?’