PUBLIC ENEMIES

Old Trafford legends take on the masters of Manchester United... who are already fighting amongst themselves. The Red Devils are truly a club on the verge of civil war

IT is a battle for the hearts and minds of Manchester United – and one that threatens to explode into all-out civil war.

On one side is an embattled club – with three factions all fighting each other – as manager Jose Mourinho battles clear dissent and mistrust from not only high-profile players such as Paul Pogba, but his boss Ed Woodward.

On the other – already pitched against them just two games into what looks like it could be an increasingly uneasy season – are some of the most respected and worshipped Old Trafford names, led by the fabled Class of ’92.

And central to the warring is the issue of leadership.

Figures such as Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Paul Ince are questioning not only the authority of Mourinho, but the lack of direction, coherent policy and even mismanagement from Woodward.

Neville summed it up this week when he launched a scathing attack on the executive vice-chairman, saying: “I look at it from a board perspective and it’s been messy.

“If Ed Woodward was going to doubt Jose Mourinho, the time to doubt him was last January, where he should have said, ‘I’m not giving you a new contract’.

“The minute he gave him a contract extension – which some may say was unnecessary halfway through a season – he had to then buy him the centre-backs, even if they cost £120million.

“It undermines Mourinho, there’s no doubt about that. Mourinho knows that.

“This is why we didn’t support Jose in the transfer market, Woodward is trying to justify to the media why he’s not backed his manager. It’s too late for that. You’ve given him a contract extension, back him until the end of that contract.”

There is a real sense of anger among many former players now that the legacy of Sir Alex Ferguson has been squandered. Neville said as much on Twitter this week, but others have gone further. Many suggest Woodward and the Glazer family owners have absolutely no strategy, no policy and no idea, which was summed up when they tried to get Jurgen Klopp as manager, failed and instead went for his polar opposite, Mourinho. Klopp (left, below) and Pep Guardiola (left, above) have shown up United’s scattergun for what it is, with their carefully planned transfer policies, bringing in hungry, young players for the long term, where United have wasted £700m on shorttermism since Ferguson left. Ince pointed out as much when he said in an exclusive column for Paddy Power News: “At Man United, everything, from top to bottom, is in turmoil – and it shows. “Should Mourinho leave? No. Should Man United as a club get their house in order? Absolutely. That’s the whole lot, from the top down – Ed Woodward, Jose Mourinho, Paul Pogba, everything is a total mess.

“Other clubs and fans are having a field day, seeing what is happening at Man United. They’re becoming a laughing stock and falling behind.

“I watched the game on Sunday and I couldn’t see what Mourinho and United were trying to do. There was no game-plan whatsoever. He is a proven manager, but the style he’s playing at United doesn’t suit the club and never will.”

Woodward will address the lack of long-term strategy by appointing a technical director before the January window, with former keeper Edwin van der Sar a strong candidate.

But there are more pressing issues – such as Pogba.

If United fans thought the issue of him leaving had been put to bed – and his feud with Mourinho calmed – then it reared its ugly head again.

A Scholes attack on Pogba and a heavily pointed, worrying reply from his agent Mino Raiola suggested his client still wants out. “Paul Scholes wouldn’t recognise a leader if he was in front of Sir Winston Churchill,” Raiola tweeted.

“Scholes should become sports director and advise Woodward to sell Pogba. Would be sleepless nights to find Pogba a new club.”

United’s biggest worry is that Woodward and the Glazers appear to have no clue what they want or who they want at United, from manager to players and even technical director.

And the class of ’92 have their own ideas.