Man Utd crisis: Jose Mourinho is failing to get Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez firing
January was a positive time to be a Manchester United fan. Sure, at that point, the Premier League title was already well on its way across town into the waiting arms of Manchester City.
But there was a good vibe around Old Trafford. Paul Pogba had returned from injury, Alexis Sanchez had joined from Arsenal and Luke Shaw was beginning to resemble the player he was before his awful leg-break in September 2015.
Yet fast forward to now and life at Manchester United is far from rosy. There are fears over many players yet none greater than their two blockbuster individuals, Pogba and Sanchez.
Express Sport dissects the ongoings at Old Trafford and what really is going on behind the scenes.
Jose Mourinho
Mourinho has never seemed entirely happy at United. Truth be told, he has not looked happy since he took the Real Madrid job back in 2010.
He has experienced success at Chelsea since then, landing the Blues a Premier League and Carabao Cup double back in 2015. He then took the United job and described the current squad as ‘among the best he has experienced in management’.
But, alarmingly, his tune is beginning to change. After the weekend’s FA Cup win over Brighton, he whipped out the pitchforks and immediately began to prod at everyone, with Shaw getting jabbed hardest.
There are already murmurings that he may be on the move to PSG. A job which, despite United’s traditions, has its own appeal. Why manage a toiling Sanchez and infuriatingly inconsistent Pogba when you can be the one in charge of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edison Cavani?
The Sun say his contract signed in January was nothing more than a smokescreen and already, there is a feeling his days are numbered.
Reports in Spain have even gone as far to suggest Diego Simeone, not Mauricio Pochettino, is being lined up to take over. Much may depend on whether they win the FA Cup because a silverware-less season is not tolerated at England’s biggest club.
Alexis Sanchez
Fans were positively giddy when Alexis Sanchez snubbed Manchester City to sign from Arsenal. Even though it meant United losing Henrikh Mkhitaryan, supporters were positive they had signed an upgrade and a player finally worthy of wearing, and shining in, the No 7 shirt.
But dark times have brought a darkness to the Chilean’s game. The spark that made him so good at Arsenal has vanished with one goal from 10 games a dire return for a player on wages that exceed £400,000 a week.
The Daily Mail claim there are concerns he will go the way of Angel Di Maria. Signed from Real Madrid with big expectations in 2014, the Argentine quit just 11 months later for PSG. Sanchez is known for his driven attitude but that has not stopped fears from creeping in.
There is, however, a solution. Members of the United hierarchy reckon he would benefit from playing in a more central role, similar to what he did at Arsenal. Unfortunately, though, that is unlikely to happen.
And that’s because of Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian is a disciple of Mourinho with the 54-year-old even discussing his transfer plans with his No 9. Sanchez, it seems, will have to rough it out on the wing or be shown the door.
Man Utd crisis: Alexis Sanchez has scored just once since his move from Arsenal
Man Utd crisis: Paul Pogba has angered Jose Mourinho in recent times
Paul Pogba
There’s no denying that, on his day, Pogba is among the best in the business. People may claim he is a YouTube footballer but he showed during his time at Juventus he was capable of blossoming on the world’s biggest stages.
And that, partly, is the problem. The France international spends the majority of his time on the pitch trying to run before he can walk. And when Mourinho, a man who loves the walking side of football, is your manager then that’s an issue.
The Sun say he angered his manager by yanking his arm in the aftermath of the Red Devils’ 2-1 win over Liverpool. It is easy to see why Pogba, a player packing charisma in abundance, would be unhappy with this. In his eyes, he was just being friendly.
It’s a conflict of interest and though Pogba wants to stick it out, it may not be in his hands. Behind the scenes lurking is super-agent Mino Raiola waiting to offer his client out to Real Madrid or Barcelona. Mourinho, who wants at least two central midfielders, may even do it first.
The problem is, however, that Pogba is a hugely influential figure. United did not pay Juventus £89million to see him go after just two years. Fans adore him. And he is part of a tight-knit group consisting of Lukaku, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. By selling him, it may even risk striking a cord with his dressing room allies.
Luke Shaw
It’s a bleak looking future for Shaw at United, but not in general.
Because when, and it seems a case of when not if, Mourinho finally shows him the door he will not be short of suitors. Chelsea, Tottenham and even Manchester City are watching his situation. Even Merseyside duo Liverpool and Everton may pounce.
Mourinho’s treatment of the England star has been labelled as ‘bullying’ and even United players have questioned his approach to Shaw. The youngster has always been an arm-around-the-shoulder sort of individual and Mourinho, with his scathing and rather frequent attacks, is simply not one for that.
United have wanted a left-back in the past yet delayed a decision until the summer during the January transfer window.
Alex Sandro and Danny Rose, of Juventus and Tottenham respectively, have been mooted as potential summer targets.
