Sacked Jose Mourinho in a new interview has hared his believes that there are huge problems at Manchester United and for boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Jose Mourinho has hinted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces being turned into a “puppet” at Manchester United. Mourinho was sacked by United in December after a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, following a dismal start to the season.
The Portuguese saw his methods questioned amid a breakdown in relations with a number of players, notably Paul Pogba. He was replaced at Old Trafford by Solskjaer, who promptly lifted the gloom at the club, embarking on a run of 10 wins in 11 games as interim chief. That propelled them back into top four contention, while they also reached the Champions League quarter-finals after a miraculous comeback win over Paris Saint-Germain.
But Solskjaer’s magic touch deserted him upon being named permanent boss, with United winning just two of their last 12 matches, ultimately finishing sixth. The final match of the year saw them beaten 2-0 by relegated Cardiff City City and Solskjaer is now eyeing an overhaul of the entire club.
Now, in an apparent swipe at his successor, Mourinho told L’Equipe: “Generally, the players can feel a certain erosion, especially when you ask a lot of them.
“When I say that the second season was fantastic, I say it because the potential and the objectives were met. I really squeezed, like an orange, to achieve them. When you have a very professional group of players who are ambitious, hard-working and talented, at a structured club, you don’t have that erosion. When you are almost alone, in that you don’t have the support of the club close to you, while certain players go somewhat against the coach, who is the nice guy. I don’t want to be the nice guy, because the nice guy, after three months, is a puppet and that doesn’t end well.”
Mourinho issues with £89million record signing Paul Pogba have been well documented, but he insists problems at the club go far deeper than the France star. “The problems are there, you can say that these are the players, the organisation, the ambition,” he added. “I only say that I cannot say ‘yes’ when you ask if Paul was the only one responsible.”
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