Hughes: Jose is still a man on a mission
MARK HUGHES sees Manchester United as a work in progress, but expects Jose Mourinho to turn things around at Old Trafford.
The Stoke boss heads back to his former stomping ground today looking to guide the Potters to their first Premier League win of the season.
He spent 13 years with United as a player across two spells, winning seven major trophies, and remembers well the fear factor that came with playing the Red Devils.
That has certainly slipped since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement and Mourinho has already experienced one very difficult week that resulted in defeats by Manchester City, Watford and Feyenoord.
But since then United have claimed three successive victories, including an impressive 4-1 beating of champions Leicester last week.
Hughes said: “I played in a winning Manchester United side, a team that was challenging for titles year on year and that team, from personal experience, had the mindset to win every game.
“Whether or not this United side has that same mindset, I’m not sure. They have the potential to get to that point.
“Maybe they haven’t displayed that as yet but you look at the talent that they have at their disposal and the amount of money they’ve spent this year to maybe address some of the failings of last year.
“The manager will have an impact for them, clearly. It’s maybe a little bit of a transition period that they’re going through.’’
Mourinho must decide whether to recall captain Wayne Rooney, who has started on the bench for the last two games, against Leicester and Zorya Luhansk.
Rooney was heavily criticised for his previous performances, although Mourinho has been reluctant to cite form for his decision to leave out the striker.
Hughes said: “There always seems to be a debate about Wayne and where he’s playing and his value to the team.
“Clearly, his influence on the group is huge I would imagine, but on occasion some players will lose form and Wayne isn’t immune to that.”