JOSE MOURINHO has handed Manchester United a stern warning as the future of manager Erik ten Hag hangs in the balance.
Ten Hag’s United are in sixth position while the Dutchman has led the Red Devils to a second FA Cup final in two years.
But their semi-final victory over Coventry left more questions than answers as they threw away a 3-0 lead against the Championship side to scrape through on penalties.
And Ten Hag’s second season in charge has been beset by apparent rows with players.
Jadon Sancho was ostracised and then sent on loan to Borussia Dortmund after rejecting Ten Hag’s accusations that he had failed to perform in training and claiming that he had been made a “scapegoat”.
And there have been ongoing concerns about the performances and attitude of Marcus Rashford.
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Mourinho had similar challenges when record signing Paul Pogba played under him at the club.
And the Special One suggested for the manager to be able to do the job to the best of his ability, he must feel supported by the club during such times.
Mourinho told The Telegraph: “When you are supported by the power, by the hierarchy, the message that passes through is very positive in the group.
“When you are not supported because the player is more important or what the player represents is more important, then you are in a fragile situation.
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Jose Mourinho’s career stats
Those numbers in full:
- Benfica, 2000: P11 W6 D3 L2
- Uniao de Leiria, 2001-2002: P23 W12 D8 L3
- Porto, 2002-2004: P127 W91 D21 L15
- Chelsea, 2004-2007: P185 W124 D40 L21
- Inter Milan, 2008-2010: P108 W67 D26 L15
- Real Madrid, 2010-2013: P178 W128 D28 L22
- Chelsea, 2013-2015: P136 W80 D29 L27
- Man Utd, 2016-2018: P144 W84 D32 L28
- Tottenham, 2019-2021: P86 W44 D19 L23
- Roma, 2021-2024: P138 W68 D31 L39
- Trophies: Primeira Liga x2, Portuguese Cup, Portuguese Super Cup, Champions League, Uefa Cup (Porto); Premier League x3, FA Cup, Carabao Cup x3, Community Shield (Chelsea); Serie A x2, Italian Cup, Italian Super Cup, Champions League (Inter Milan); La Liga, Spanish Cup, Spanish Super Cup (Real Madrid); Carabao Cup, Community Shield, Europa League (Man Utd); Europa Conference League (Roma)
“Even if you are a coach with so much experience as was my case.”
Mourinho added that Pogba changed as a player after winning the World Cup and became more difficult to manage.
He said: “The only thing I say is that it happens with almost everybody in some moments of your career – you lose a little bit the sense of who you are and what you have to be.
“The season after France won the [2018] World Cup, I think Paul came back different.
“The World Cup brought him into a dimension where football was not the most important thing for him.
“Sharing the philosophy of everyone, everyone with the same level of responsibilities.”
But Mourinho added that he took no satisfaction from seeing former star Pogba handed a four-year ban for doping earlier this year.
He said: “I am not enjoying Paul’s situation at all.”
Pundits verdict on Ten Hag’s future
Where do the pundits stand on Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United future
Jamie Carragher – Sacked
“I don’t see how Erik ten Hag stays. It’s just performance after performance.”
Gary Neville – Stay if he wins the FA Cup
“To sack a manager who’s won two trophies in his first two seasons at the club I think would be extreme.”
Louis Saha – On the fence
“I don’t see it as clearly but they need changes from the players but they need changes from him as well.”
Alan Shearer – Sacked
“I believe the future of the Man Utd manager is already determined. Even if they win the FA Cup I think he’s gone.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
