Gary Neville concedes that Jose Mourinho will leave Manchester United and slams ‘naive’ board
The former Old Trafford defender cannot understand why Ed Woodward handed the Portuguese an extension in January
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Your support makes all the difference.Gary Neville has conceded that Jose Mourinho’s departure from Manchester United is inevitable and slammed the club’s hierarchy for their “naïve” decision to give him a contract extension.
Sunday’s 3-1 loss against rivals Liverpool at Anfield leaves United 19 points adrift of the Premier League summit after 17 games and 11 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, cementing their worst start to a league campaign for 28 years.
Mourinho’s future at Old Trafford has been the subject of speculation for several months, but the new contract until June 2020 that he signed in January is believed to be among the reasons why United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is reluctant to make a change.
After the Liverpool loss Neville, who has often declined to criticise Mourinho during his time at United, admitted that he believes the Portuguese’s days at Old Trafford are numbered – before turning his ire on the United board for giving their manager a new deal in the first place.
“Yeah, I think it will happen,” Neville said on Sky Sports when asked if a change of management at United is inevitable.
“Whether it happens during the season [remains to be seen] – my preference is always to try to get through to the end of a season.
“I think, to be honest with you, the boardroom is so naïve. To give him an extended contract, knowing the cycle of Mourinho is three years. The third year is always the difficult year for him.”
After the match Mourinho admitted that Liverpool are a better team than United, adding that his players could not cope with the “physicality” and “intensity” of Jurgen Klopp’s men.
“I think the biggest decision for Manchester United is when there is a change of manager, whether it is before the end of the season or the end of the season,” Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said.
“Watching not just today but throughout the season, is it a team that is good enough to win the league? No. Is it a team that should be sixth in the league? No.
“I don’t believe there is a massive gulf in the quality of players Liverpool to United, I think Liverpool have the edge, but this season I don’t believe it should be as big as it is.
“Is Mourinho getting enough out of the players? Nowhere near enough, and this is a top manager.
“His cycle as a manager has always been two or three years. Absolutely rip it up in the first 18 months, two years and then he probably wears people out.
“I think the only way it will change is a change in the hotseat really.”
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