As Manchester United is now a platform for Donald Trump, is it worth saving?

Jose Mourinho was in uninspiring form after a dreadful performance from Manchester United against Seville last night. United were poor at the back, again. They were unmotivated in midfield, again. They were risible in attack, again. None of the parts work individually or as a whole. It’s probably still worth giving Mourinho another year and yet another transfer splurge, because they’ve come up to second in the league and are assured of another year of Champions League football, and maybe the FA Cup, if things don’t go too disastrously. But his statement that this failure was nothing new for United, well, perhaps he could have acknowledged much more forcefully that his own shortcomings are on display despite the clear improvement over the last year and a half.

Mourinho said he had, ‘no regrets,’ which suggests that the type of football isn’t going to change any time soon under him, if at all. It’s a depressing thing to consider, not least because there is no compelling alternative to him. Under Louis van Gaal we knew Mourinho was available, and under David Moyes even Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp looked like they might be interested. Klopp is clearly a buffoon, but Guardiola has demonstrated his talent at City.

But, when things come down to brass tacks, maybe Manchester United just aren’t worth saving, and it’s time to wish for the end. Ed Glazer is throwing a fundraiser for Donald Trump, the man at the vanguard of anti-semitic, racist, ableist, homophobic, economically illiterate, greedy, venal and vile American politics. United give them the platform and the cash to do all this, along with their other business interest. With Mourinho also taking cash from Russia Today, it doesn’t feel like this is really a sporting endeavour that rewards us for handing over both our time and money.