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Football

19th Dec 2018

Only four players backed Jose Mourinho at the end of his Man United reign

Staying true to form, Mourinho's third season saw his dressing room almost completely turn against him

Darragh Murphy

At this point in his career, Jose Mourinho should be limited to two-season spells at clubs

Jose Mourinho arrived at Manchester United with a reputation for losing the dressing room in his third season at previous clubs and that’s just what happened with the Red Devils, if reports are to be believed.

Before being sacked by United on Tuesday, Mourinho had fallen out with several players throughout his two-and-a-half years in charge at Old Trafford.

Mourinho’s long-running feud with Paul Pogba was perhaps the most well-documented and the French midfielder reportedly celebrated his now-former manager’s dismissal by high-fiving his teammates in training.

Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial were two other players who fell victim to Mourinho’s infamous public criticism in recent times and they may not have been devastated to learn that a change was coming in the United dugout.

According to a report in the Times, Mourinho only maintained the backing of four players by the time the final nail was hammered into his United coffin.

Romelu Lukaku, Ashley Young, Nemanja Matic and – shock horror – Marouane Fellaini were reportedly the only players who still liked the Portuguese at the end of his tenure.

All four featured in Mourinho’s final game in charge of the club, a 3-1 defeat to arch-rivals Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.