Man United boss sits in his office during training sessions

Hands off Jose Mourinho

The main story on the back page of the Times on Tuesday centres on

Following the 4-0 defeat at Chelsea, all eyes are fixed on Mourinho as he struggles to get the Red Devils going.

While many United fans would be hoping Mourinho would impart his wisdom on his players behind the scenes at Carrington, the suggestion in the Times is that the Portuguese manager is already an isolated figure at the Theatre of Dreams.

Indeed, the opening line of the Times’s article reads:

Manchester United’s players have been stunned by Jose Mourinho’s hands-off and distant approach at Carrington.

‘Players are shocked’

Begging the question ‘who is the mole at Man United who has leaked this story?’, it’s disclosed that Rui Faria, not Mourinho, is the main man on the Man United training pitch:

It can now be disclosed that some members of the United squad have been surprised by some of the Portuguese’s methods at the club’s training ground at Carrington.

According to a source close to a senior United player, Mourinho cuts a distant figure, sometimes leaving his assistant, Rui Faria, to conduct training sessions while he watches from a distance or works in his office.

The Times’s story opens Mourinho up to criticism.

Could it be that Man United look like a team without a plan because Mourinho isn’t doing enough work on the training pitch?

If, for example, Mourinho isn’t watching players like Paul Pogba day in, day out, how can the Special One work out the Frenchman’s best position?

The Times also stress that Mourinho’s routine when it comes to United’s training isn’t about to change anytime soon either:

Some feel they would benefit more from a closer relationship with the 53-year-old — particularly after the treatment they received from Louis van Gaal, his predecessor — but Mourinho is said to prefer to keep his distance from the players.

Culled from 101greatgoals.com