José Mourinho, as we know from past experiences, is usually on point with the signings he makes. However, at Manchester United, the vintage Mourinho has somewhat succumbed to the pressure of the job. Be it his policy of ‘experience over youth’ or be it his overall style of play, José Mourinho seems to have had to adjust according to the demands of fans and board alike.
José Mourinho even lost his second season syndrome at the club. Mourinho has always been in the headlines ever since joining United. Be it his tendencies of not associating himself with the club or be it questioning the ‘Heritage’, he often looked uncomfortable and not one with the club. An attacking team like Manchester United would suffer under a defensive coach.
But at United, he has had to work with youth to keep at par with the philosophy of the club. That could be one of the reasons why José Mourinho has been struggling. Although his signings, the young players have failed to comprehend Mourinho in several aspects. When you bring a manager with conflicting philosophies, complications are an obvious outcome.
Manchester United and José Mourinho are facing the same currently with signings that have misfired so far. Here is a list of 5 Manchester United signing gone wrong under José Mourinho:
#5 Nemanja Matić
When he was first brought in by José Mourinho, the signing was considered a phenomenal signing by both the fans and pundits alike. Into the second season with Manchester United, Matić is slow, immobile and is seldom available for defenders to pass to, when they try to play out from the back.
His passes rarely exceed 5 yards and with immobility setting in, he has his defensive qualities being affected as well. When trying to counter, Matić often becomes a liability due to the lack of speed in his game. In spite of having played poorly so far, Manchester United fans are frustrated at José Mourinho for continuing to pick him over the likes of Ander Herrera and Andreas Pereira.
Although he initially looked like a great signing, one and a half years into his Manchester United career, he has to go down as a miss hit from José.
#4 Fred
The Brazilian came to United from Shakhtar Donetsk with quite a reputation. United managed to snatch Fred in spite of interest from their local rivals, Manchester City. His ability to run with the ball, technical prowess, and the box to box nature of playing had United fans excited to see him in action.
But thanks to a poor start in Premier League, he finds himself either on the bench or out of the squad. José Mourinho has pointed out defensive frailties as the possible reason for the snub. Be it his own form or the defensive frailties Manchester United find themselves in, either way, Fred so far does qualify as a flop signing under Jose Mourinho. The only positive, however, is that he is only 25 years of age and still has a lot of time to prove himself.
#3 Victor Lindelöf
Victor Lindelöf was brought in from Benfica by Mourinho in search of a ball playing central defender. The ball-playing criterion is fulfilled but he was woeful when it came to defending. He has clearly struggled with the physicality in the Premier League. More so in the first season than in the second.
The second season has been a much better season for him personally. But still, in a team like Manchester United, Victor Lindelöf only seems worthy of a bench spot. Often bullied physically, the only great defending asset he presently possesses is his positioning. United have struggled with the defensive part of their game. Certainly, Victor Lindelöf has not been able to provide the solution so far. He is clearly not as good as Mourinho would have wanted him to be as the search continues for a new centre back.
#2 Alexis Sánchez
An unhappy Alexis Sánchez, finally got his wish fulfilled, when Manchester United offered him an escape route from Emirates. A highly anticipated deal saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move to Emirates as Alexis Sánchez moved the other way. Manchester United was regarded to have gotten a better deal than Arsenal by many. But in the long run, Arsenal came out to be the real gainers.
Mkhitaryan has bettered expectation at Arsenal while for Alexis it has been a struggle at Old Trafford so far. A position that was already subject to severe contention at United, saw the addition of Alexis. He never really could replicate his form at Arsenal and is now out till January with an injury. Martial meanwhile has excelled at left wing. Alexis may find it difficult to pin down a spot when he returns from his injury. But, for now, he definitely goes down as a flop.
#1 Zlatan Ibrahimović
This might be a bit of a shocker, but hear me out here. Zlatan Ibrahimović was phenomenal in the first stint with United. For a player his age, to come to Premier League and score as many goals as he did, without playing the whole of the season, is just phenomenal.
But, then again this is Zlatan Ibrahimović we are talking about. All was going well until one Europa League night in April, where both Marcos Rojo and Zlatan Ibrahimović suffered ACL injuries. Resigning Zlatan Ibrahimović after the injury was a poor and purely emotional decision from Mourinho and was very unlike him.
