Jose Mourinho has lost the Manchester United dressing room and will be sacked in one of the upcoming international breaks if he does not turn the situation on its head, according to Jamie Carragher.
The Portuguese has been at loggerheads with the club's biggest player Paul Pogba since the summer and Carragher suggested the Frenchman is leading a growing faction of players who are unhappy with his management.
Having left his last two positions at Real Madrid and Chelsea after falling out with senior players, Carragher sees a similar pattern emerging at Old Trafford and predicts his imminent demise unless their is immediate change.
Speaking on Sky Sports's Monday Night Football, Carragher said: 'I have no doubt from his comments in the press conference when he said "some players are trying and some are trying harder than others" that he's lost the dressing room.
'The problem with that is that it's now the third time it's happened. It started at Real Madrid with [Iker] Casillas and [Sergio] Ramos then it happened at Chelsea with [Eden] Hazard and all the players there and now there's talk of a group led by Pogba. So there's no doubt there's massive problems there.'
While Mourinho boasts a winning record unrivalled by the vast majority of managers, his abrasive style means he has never lasted more than three seasons at a club. That has lead to the coining of the term 'third-season syndrome'.
Having supposedly lost the support of several senior players, such as Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and Anthony Martial, Mourinho is forcing the club to make a big decision: either sell the players or sack the manager. Carragher believes Old Trafford chief Ed Woodward will have little choice but to opt for the latter.
'Mourinho is not a builder of two or three teams,' Carragher continued. 'Every club he's at he builds one team and it's very successful and then he moves on because his style of management is very confrontational. He's had success but after three years everyone is burnt out; himself, the club, the players.
'If you're the Manchester United owner or CEO, you've got to look at that and think: Pogba, Martial, Sanchez, Eric Bailly; are you going to get rid of all them and keep a manager who never normally lasts more than three years at a club or are you going to change the manager?
'I didn't think he'd be manager next season, but it may be quicker than that. With two international breaks coming, I think he may have a huge problem if he doesn't turn it around very quickly.'
Manchester United have suffered their worst start to a league campaign in 29 years this season. Their latest defeat, a 3-1 reverse to West Ham, left them with just ten points from seven games and a goal difference of minus two.
Facing the press ahead of this week's Champions League tie against Valencia, Mourinho faced questions over whether his players still care enough to back him following an abject display at West Ham.
He replied: 'I think some care more than others.
'After 20 years of football, I am still the kid that I was 20 years ago and I am still naive, but I still don't believe that a player is not honest.
'There were big players in the past and I ask these people with great reputations if at any time in their careers they went to a game not to give the maximum, not to help the club, not to make the fans happy and not to try his best.
'If somebody tells them "I was a football player and I didn't give my best" then I change my opinion. Until somebody who was a big professional player says he was a dishonest player, I will always believe the players. They do it, they don't do it that's a different story, but I repeat I am naive or I still believe the player is an honest man.
'Sometimes what it looks is exactly the opposite. You can be laughing and be the saddest person in the world and you can have a sad face and inside you are very happy.'
Messifcblove
250
I don¿t think players choose not to play, the morale Is so low due to the non stop singling out and criticising of players in the media by Mourinho, why can he never deal with players behind closed doors instead Of always picking on someone. The reason he has fallen out with big players at other clubs is because big players have options and as such say what they think back others don¿t have as many options so bite their lips and only get their voices once someone bigger has. Regardless of what people think about pogba, he¿s got options and will not sit and take rubbish from Mourinho. Mourinho need to move with the times or change professions. Any work place if your manager humiliated in front of your work mates you¿ll react but if they call you to the office address the issue with respect you¿ll respond with respect and take what they say on board. Low morale produces poor results in any team sport or any work place for that matter.
Elsa98
233
Time's up!
Patrick Myanmar
227
pitydog
185
why is he pointing his hand at others? He should be pointing at himself.
Dabacdrsyz
162
the 23 trophies he had he had players that were willing to play anywhere as the manager wanted. in United today we have big boys, spoilt boys that are destroying their careers and thinking they destroy mourinho's. we had players like etoo in international, we saw him playing almost in defence, they won 3 titles that season. hello people you may have your own opinion but for the sake of future footballers all over the world, no player should be above the instruction of the manager, we saw Ronaldinho, deco, etoo sent away from Barça after the guardiola arrival though étoo left a little bit later. I repeat no player should be above the coach instructions...
ch4n12
115
Just look at the players on the pitch against West ham they showed no desire to play for man utd and who and where did they get that pink shirt from the players should take 100% blame for Saturday, 80% percent for last Tuesday against Derby, 60%against Cystral Palace, just look at luke show last season he was mourning and groaning and got backed by the media against marinheo that the did not believe in him and he was leaving and so far this season he has better but he was the first one to say they were disgusting and awful against West Ham United, Pogba needs to start playing football again like he played in the world cup and not think because he is paid a Kings ransom so he can hold the club to ransom Jose is going nowhere because they have cocked up with 2 managers, one was hand picked by Fergason and the van ghal first thing he did was to get rid of the best striker in the world saying he could not play football Hernandez currently playing reserve team football at West ham man utd should get him back in January with two World class defenders, MAGUIRE AND DUMBELLE from Barcelona and get rid of the ones who don't want play at man utd NOW