United aim to defy Mourinho’s doubts
Struggling giants face Foxes in EPL opener
MANCHESTER: Manchester United have to defy their own manager Jose Mourinho’s fears for a season of doom and gloom when they kick off the Premier League campaign against Leicester City today.
Mourinho has repeatedly called for more backing in the transfer market if United are to close the record 19-point gap they trailed Manchester City by last season despite finishing second in the table.
Instead, the Portuguese’s mood has been further soured by seeing another fierce rival Liverpool steal a march with a £170-million (US$220 million) splurge on new signings.
“If we don’t make our team better it will be a difficult season for us,” Mourinho warned earlier this week, so far to no avail ahead of yesterday’s transfer deadline.
After securing the signatures of Brazilian international midfielder Fred and Portuguese teenage full-back Diogo Dalot early in the window, strengthening his centreback options has been Mourinho’s priority.
Yet, United could end up facing one of Mourinho’s top targets in Harry Maguire at Old Trafford, with Leicester reportedly holding out for a world-record fee for a defender to land one of England’s heroes from a run to the World Cup semi-finals.
Maguire and Leicester’s main goal threat, Jamie Vardy, may not start having just returned to pre-season training this week after their exertions in Russia.
But United are even more shorthanded by the quick turnaround between the World Cup and the start of the new season.
Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford, Phil Jones and Victor Lindelof were all praised by Mourinho for cutting short their holidays to return to training and be in the frame to play a part today.
Paul Pogba did not follow suit as the French World Cup winner’s frosty relationship with Mourinho has sparked interest from Barcelona.
But Mourinho must finally get the best from his star midfielder and Alexis Sanchez to avoid his third season in charge turning sour as it did in his second spell at Chelsea and Real Madrid.
Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea in December 2015 with the then-Premier League champions languishing in 16th, just one point above the relegation places.
Likewise in his final campaign in the Spanish capital in 2012/13, Mourinho clashed with a number of senior players in a trophyless season.
The ingredients appear to be in place for another Mourinho meltdown should United get off to a bad start and he believes even the scheduling of his side’s opening fixture has made his task even harder.
“I want to say a nice word, we were unlucky to get the Friday match as we could get the Sunday,” he bemoaned at opening the campaign.
“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday [to prepare] is not enough.”
One of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants Nemanja Matic will miss the start of the season due to surgery on an abdominal injury, while Eric Bailly and Ander Herrera are also doubts after picking up knocks in United’s final pre-season friendly defeat by Bayern Munich.
SCHOLES CRITICISM
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes said the team look unhappy and have little chance of winning this season’s Premier League, warning that Mourinho needs to quickly turn their fortunes around.
Scholes said “I wouldn’t be happy either” playing Mourinho’s pragmatic brand of football, in comments that threaten to reignite his feud with the Portuguese manager.
The former England midfielder pointed to a gulf in class — and playing styles — with Pep Guardiola’s free-flowing Manchester City.
“It doesn’t really look like the players enjoy... playing the way they do,” Scholes told AFP in Hong Kong, where he was promoting 433 Token, a blockchain-based system aimed at nurturing young talent.
“If I was there playing... in that style of play, I wouldn’t be happy either,” said Scholes, who won 11 titles and two European cups at United under Alex Ferguson.
“As a manager, you want your team to entertain... That very, very rarely happens at United these days.”
The latest salvo from the TV analyst follows a highly publicised run-in with Mourinho last season, when the Portuguese thundered: “If Paul one day decides to be a manager, I wish that he can be 25 percent as successful as myself.”
FIXTURE (kick-off 2am Thai time) Man United v Leicester City