Mourinho's public spat with Shaw the tip of the iceberg - so much more wrong at Old Trafford

20 September 2016 10:29
It would seem that players Jose Mourinho feels he can't rely on week in, week out do not have a place in the Manchester United boss's long-term plans.

Injury-plagued defender Phil Jones has been frozen out and and there's already talk of a January move to either Arsenal or Liverpool.

Like Jones, Luke Shaw is not exactly flavour of the month with Mourinho who has caused a furore by publicly criticising the full back who has also had more than his fair share of injuries.

Shaw was immediately susbtituted by Mourinho after Watford's second goal in United's 3-1 defeat at the weekend - their third on the bounce.

Mourinho made no bones about singling out Shaw for blame in the build up to the goal. The full back will miss tomorrow's EFL Cup clash with Northampton with a minor groin tear.

It is the latest in a long line of niggling injuries which followed the England full back's original, horrific leg break soon after his move from Southampton. Mourinho is running out of patience.

Shaw is unhappy with the public dressing down and his United teammates are said to be shocked by the manager's handling of the situation, amidst rumours that Jose has 'lost the dressing room'.

That would be an alarming development so soon after he breezed into Old Trafford on a tidal wave of love and anticipation. How quickly the tide has turned.

It's been a torrid time for Mourinho who is under pressure to drop skipper Wayne Rooney after his indifferent start to the season. A fan survey in the Manchester Evening News said that more than 90 per cent of United supporters want Rooney axed.

Then there's the manager's failure to get the best out of £78m record signing Paul Pogba. Not his fault he cost so much - somebody has to take the rap for that one!!

Jose wants to spend more in the January window - another £150m, we are led to believe - but United chiefs are reluctant to add to their huge summer outlay, believing that Mourinho has enough quality at his disposal to turn the club's fortunes around. 

So it looks as though the January window, as far as United are concerned, will be more about those on the way out and newcomers on their way in. Jones is a definite for the exit door, and it's looking more and more likely Shaw will follow him. 

And don't rule out the possibility of and increasingly frustrated Rooney being shown the door too.
Stranger things have happened - certainly in the mad-cap world of Mourinho who, as was the case in his second spell at Chelsea, is already feeling the pressure, and not handling it well.

Source: DSG