Jose Mourinho is ‘clinging on’ at Manchester United as pressure ramps up surrounding his job security, according to Martin Keown.
Man United are four games without a win in the Premier League, following their 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford on Wednesday, and his representative Jorge Mendes took the unusual step of issuing a statement insisting he will remain in his role. Keown, a title-winning former Arsenal defender, believes a response against Fulham on Saturday is a ‘must’.
Could Manchester United sack Jose Mourinho? Five key things to know…
- Jose Mourinho took over at Manchester United in 2016, winning the Europa League, League Cup and finishing second in the Premier League during his first two seasons.
- The Portuguese has lost just 26 of his 141 games in charge at Old Trafford to date, winning 58.9% of his games in charge.
- Mourinho has overseen the transfers of Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku for a combined £164m, both of whom have been accused of letting their manager down this season.
- Man United are without a win in their last four Premier League games and are 18 points behind leaders Manchester City.
- Mendes released a statement on Friday saying Mourinho is going nowhere but Keown believes he’s now ‘clinging on’ at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils welcome Claudio Ranieri’s side looking to close an eight-point gap on the Premier League’s top four and Mourinho is under press to secure a big result.
“Without doubt, they have to win [against Fulham] convincingly,” Keown wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
“It feels like Mourinho is clinging on and Manchester United simply must respond with a performance.
“You look at Fred, a player United spent £52million on who cannot get a game. Are United really going to commit another £52m or more to Mourinho in January to strengthen the squad?”
However, despite believing Ranieri will ‘love’ the prospect of frustrating Mourinho, Keown backed the Red Devils to dispatch Fulham and ease the pressure on their Portuguese manager.
The former Arsenal defender added: “Make no mistake, Claudio Ranieri will love trying to frustrate Mourinho when he brings his Fulham side to Old Trafford. Already, he has made the team tighter at the back.
“United are good enough to beat them. They have to dominate Fulham in this game.”
“Pogba and Lukaku are like statues”
Keown also commented on the performances of Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku, who were both dropped for the draw with Arsenal, calling the pair ‘statues’.
He said: “Watching them this season, both players have been like statues.
“Pogba takes so many touches on the ball. Everything looks choreographed with him — he doesn’t seem to do anything spontaneously.
“For me, Lukaku just watches the game. Yes, he was effective in United’s second goal after coming off the bench but I don’t see him make runs into the channels. I have said before that he needs to play less like a pussycat and more like a tiger.”
And Keown thinks this may be the weakest Man United time of the Premier League era: “When you look at the quality of players in that United team, has it ever been weaker in the Premier League era? I cannot see how this group can make the top four.”
The post It feels like Jose Mourinho is “clinging on” at Man Utd – Martin Keown appeared first on Squawka News.
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