Jose Mourinho has been brought in at Old Trafford to stop United sliding further down after 3 disappointing years following Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure. He will take over a team still in considerable flux after two unconvincing years under Louis van Gaal. The Portuguese is a serial winner, who knows all the tricks in the trade to guarantee success to his employers. United have been criticized heavily by their fans for overspending on stars who failed miserably during their time at Old Trafford and had to be shipped out hurriedly in order to prevent further embarrassment.
Mourinho won’t find it easy at United, he will be under huge pressure given his past to start producing the goods from the word go. United’s summer spending will have many fans excited, but Mourinho will be only too aware of the failings both tactical and institutional that undermined his predecessor, Louis van Gaal. It is crucial that he sorts out all the mess before the campaign kicks off on August 13th.
Here are the five issues that Mourinho must deal with right now.
Get The Club Behind Him
Mourinho was touted to be Sir Alex Fergusons successor three years ago, however important voices within the club were skeptical of having the Portuguese at Old Trafford. Following the failed experiments of David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal, Mourinho has been finally handed his dream job. It is essential for him that he wins over his doubters rather than antagonising over those who argued against his appointment.
Win Over The Dressing Room
During the final days of LVG, there were whispers of discontent in the United dressing room. The priority for Mourinho will be bringing unity in the squad. It takes time to get used to the Mourinho way but he inspires a fierce loyalty in those who buy into his methods. He will need his players behind him supporting his methods if he wants to compete to compete amongst the best again.
Get The New Signings Integrated.
Mourinho has mentioned that he is looking for four signing this summer. He has already got a defender in Eric Bailly, a quality midfielder in Henrikh Mkhitaryan and a lethal striker in the form of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. There are also growing rumours of Paul Pogba returning to Manchester United. All these are quality and experienced additions to a squad which already has the likes of Anthony Martial, Wayne Rooney and David De Gea. It will be crucial for Mourinho that he gets his new player up and running as soon as possible otherwise the fans could quickly turn against the Portuguese, given the failed signing of Falcao and Di Maria.
Wayne Rooney
Mourinho is a big fan of Rooney and tried to sign him for Chelsea during his time at Stamford Bridge. So there’s no doubt that the Manchester United captain will remain a key player under the new manager. Going by Mourinho’s press conference recently, one feels that he is going to have the England captain much forward rather than his midfield role for United last season that saw him develop as an anchor man for the team.
Restoring United’s Pride
Last three years have hugely dented United’s pride and their place amongst the elites of the world. Under Moyes and LVG, the club didn’t moved forward, just sideways and backwards. Mourinho will need to restore the days of the old. It’s a pleasing site to see world class players arriving at United recently but it will be another task getting them integrated and working as a team. although tactically he is not a entertainer on the pitch but a little bit of spark on the touchline will go a long way to restoring a positive atmosphere around Old Trafford.