Mourinho hints at fundamental problems at Manchester United

Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has criticised the playing staff at his former club after speaking to L’Equipe newspaper.

Mourinho left United in December 2018 after a disappointing start to the season, only for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to impress initially with the same group of players, before another disastrous spell saw them finish six, with speculation over Solskjaer’s future at the club.

There have also been reports that Anthony Martial is a bone of contention between the board, owner and manager, with the Norwegian banned from selling Martial.

Martial wanted to leave under Mourinho but impressed following the Portuguese leaving the club. As soon as he signed a huge new contract he promptly started playing terribly again, which has led to questions over whether he will stay beyond the summer.

Speaking to L’Equipe, Mourinho contrasted his relationship with Karim Benzema when at Real Madrid, and Martial, saying: “With Karim, it was not a conflict, I just wanted to help the player – an incredibly talented player – change his mindset, help him reach his maximum.

“To become a killer, a determined striker. I really enjoyed working with Karim.

“He [Martial] is a boy with a different personality. The thing I can say is that I hope he will reach a level commensurate with his real potential.”

Mourinho also hinted that problems in the squad are deeper than just the reported problems between him and Paul Pogba, after he clarified: “About Manchester United, I want to say only two things.

“One is that time has spoken. Two is that the problems are still there.

“Was I a victim of [Paul] Pogba? No.

“The problems are there, you can imagine that the problems are the players, the organisation, the ambition, I only say that I can not say yes when you ask if Paul was the only one responsible.”

United are awaiting confirmation on when they start their Europa League campaign before sacking Solskjaer in February.