Tired and moody Jose is more the Aggrieved One than Special One

PRE-SEASON doesn’t really bother me that much.

I’ll keep an eye on results and performances but I take it for what it is: a phoney war designed to get footballers fit and firing for what really matters on day one of the new campaign. It’s nice to see players looking tanned and healthy in sparkling new kits, having fun and enjoying the sun on training pitches from Singapore to Charlotte, or from UCLA to th e WACA. But there a re no prizes for winning matches at this stage — none that mean anything, anyway — so I don’t get carried away. Even so, I must admit that what I’m seeing from Jose Mourinho right now is concerning me. He looks more like a man who’s ready for a three-month break than a man who has just returned from one. The Manchester United boss looks tired, mardy y and moody, the Aggrieved One rather than the Special One.

And when the outspoken Mourinho is aggrieved, nothing good happens.

That would bother me if I was a United fan because I’d be hoping that this would be the season for the Reds to rediscover the United way, to respond when the fans shout ‘attack, attack, attack,’ and

Since Sir Alex stepped down United have not produced the same flair

to push the noisy neighbours all the way.

I’m not sure that will be the case, though, given the way things stand. And if things go badly and United find themselves languishing in, say, fifth come the start of January, then I wonder if a messy divorce is on the way.

We’ll know better in 10 games’ time, which is the period I usually like to give managers. But there’s just something about Mourinho’s demeanour this summer that isn’t sitting well with me.

I’m not sure it is going down too well with United fans either. Those days when Mourinho would be top of every fan’s wishlist are long gone. He’d be fifth or sixth on most of those lists these days and that’s not in keeping with where he or United want to be.

The whole purpose of Manchester United in the modern era is to win and win well.

But it has been five seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down and they have not been able to produce the flair Fergie’s sides were famous for

What you always knew about Ferguson teams was that they could play and they sure knew how to attack.

Yes, they could close a game down if they had to but you knew they could go and beat a team by three or four goals if the situation called for it. But I’m not convinced this United group can do any of that, certainly not for a prolonged period. And when you add Mourinho’s gripes, things do not look encouraging.

Finishing in the Champions League places can usually satisfy boards of directors but the one thing United’s hierarchy will be wary of is not to become another Arsenal and think sealing a topfour is OK. It isn’t, not for a club like United. If Mourinho this season can’t get them firing like United sides of yore, then I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t see out the season.