Ex-Liverpool star tears into Mourinho over new Man United contract

Joe Williams

Jamie Redknapp has questioned what Jose Mourinho has done to “earn” his new contract at Manchester United.

United were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle on Sunday, leaving them 16 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Liverpool are also now only two points behind in third, and Redknapp says Mourinho ‘has done little to improve’ their ‘style of play’.

‘When Manchester United extended Jose Mourinho’s contract with a year and a half to run, I was genuinely surprised. What has he done to earn it?’ he wrote for the Daily Mail.

‘Yes, he has won two trophies — the League Cup and Europa League — and restored United to the Champions League, where they are in the last 16. But this was the man brought in to go toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola. Defeat at Newcastle leaves United trailing Manchester City by 16 points.

‘They are being left in the shade by City in almost every department. While Guardiola’s best team trips off the tongue, it is difficult to name United’s preferred XI.

‘Mourinho has done little to improve United’s style of play. Gone are the early-season swashbuckling displays against the likes of West Ham, Swansea and Everton. When United have come up against a fellow top-six side, they have pulled up the handbrake. Mourinho cannot justify those negative tactics with results, having won just one of his nine away games against those teams as United boss.

‘But the strangest thing about Mourinho extending his stay in Manchester is that he does not seem to have taken the place to his heart.

‘The fact that he still lives at the Lowry Hotel gives the impression he is not fully committed and that is not a good look for the club. Why has nobody at United convinced him to buy a property in the city like Guardiola? There is always light and shade with Mourinho even at his best. This season, his mood has been gloomy.’