Manchester United’s poor start to the season continues, with the club losing its latest Premier League game against West Ham United on Saturday. The Red Devils currently risk seeing their season fall apart if a major resurgence does not occur at Old Trafford. At the front of all the pressure, though, is manager Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese tactician has so far failed to transform the club despite already being in his third season. When Mourinho was handed the job, he himself said he must be judged after three years in charge.
As it stands, nothing shows that Man United is heading towards the right direction. Instead, the former Inter Milan and Real Madrid manager’s reign has been characterised by disaffection, mutiny and gross player underperformance.
And these are not only players he came to meet at the club. In fact, most of Mourinho’s own signings have struggled to make any meaningful impact at Old Trafford.
3 Eric Bailly
The case of Eric Bailly’s decline at Man United is as shocking as it gets. The Ivory Coast international arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016 as a ready-made player who would solve Manchester United’s defensive problems.
In a season where the Red Devils won the Community Shield, EFL Cup and the Europa League, the centre-back played a major role in the club winning those trophies. However, his second season was characterised by issues of injury and inconsistency.
This season, it has been worse for Bailly who has barely got a look-in in the Man United first team. He seems to have fallen victim to Mourinho’s anger after a series of poor performances earlier in the campaign.
The former Villarreal defender has not started a game for the Red Devils since late August and it looks like his Old Trafford stay is getting nightmarish with each passing week. Bailly is a player signed by Mourinho, but unfortunately, the Portuguese manager has so far failed to get the best out of the defender.
2 Alexis Sanchez
The story of Alexis Sanchez at Man United can best be described as an enigma. World-class at Udinese, Barcelona and Arsenal, yet struggling to even take on a single player in a red jersey. The Chilean is the reason why Anthony Martial was kicked out of the first team, having joined from Arsenal in a January transfer. However, Sanchez has badly struggled for form and could easily pass for one of Man United’s worst signings in the last five years.
The attacker’s quick feet and experience were the reasons why Jose Mourinho hijacked Man City’s bid to bring him to Old Trafford. But for whatever reason, the Portuguese has been unable to unlock the Chilean’s best qualities. This is definitely not the Sanchez of Arsenal, and for as long as he keeps churning out uninspiring performances for Man United, it won’t be difficult at all to term him a flop under Mourinho.
1 Paul Pogba
This is debatable, but there is no denying of the fact that Old Trafford is yet to see the best of Paul Pogba since he joined two years ago. The arrival of the France international from Juventus was meant to usher Man United into a new era of dominance, but that is still yet to materialise.
After two years, Jose Mourinho is yet to find Pogba’s best position in his team, despite trying him in a number of positions. The 25-year-old was a beast at Juventus, but he has so far struggled to replicate those performances in a red shirt.
Whiles his recent fall-out with Jose Mourinho may not have helped matters, it is just a summary of how disappointing Pogba has been under the tutelage of the former Inter Milan manager. In the last two years, you could barely count 15 games which Pogba has truly dominated.
There are those who believe that the Frenchman will thrive under another coach, but for now, he has simply not been at his best under Mourinho.