JOSE Mourinho told his Manchester United players in the final weeks of the season: Back me or leave.
The United manager grew increasingly frustrated with his team’s inconsistent performances as the campaign drew to a close.
It prompted a fiery address to the misfiring stars, in front of first-team staff, telling them that anyone who wanted to leave the club could go.
Mourinho also made it clear he was doing things his way whether they liked it or not — and that he was there to succeed.
The Portuguese did not address his players as a group after last Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup final defeat by Chelsea although he did publicly praise their performance.
He also surprised some Old Trafford directors by making only a fleeting appearance at the club’s post-match reception.
Mourinho had been growing increasingly disappointed with a number of players and was clearly unhappy with Romelu Lukaku telling him he was not fit enough to start the Cup final.
The United chief has big plans for the summer and is already rejigging his backroom staff after the departure of No 2 Rui Faria.
Stefano Rapetti, Mourinho’s fitness coach at Inter Milan, has left Sampdoria to join him.
Mourinho won the League Cup and Europa League in his first campaign.
He also improved on last season’s sixth-place league finish, coming second this term with 12 more points.
Yet, they trailed home a massive 19 points behind champions Manchester City, who were hailed for their entertaining football.
Bitter rivals Liverpool have also made Saturday’s Champions League final after an exciting run.
Mourinho, by comparison, has drawn a lot of flak for his more cautious approach. This irritated him in a number of increasingly short press conferences.
He will be backed again in the transfer market, but the club want to see him get the best out of big-name signings like Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez — something he has so far failed to do.
This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission
