Van Gaal 5th, Mourinho 6th? Maybe so, but things are looking up at Man Utd

The Special One might still be presiding over an under-achieving team at Old Trafford, but the signs of promise are enough to prove dumping the Dutchman was the right move.


Manchester United are sixth at Christmas. Yes, the same Manchester United who spent £150 million on transfers and committed a hell of a lot more to new salaries in the summer.

Yes, the Manchester United who sacked Louis van Gaal for the failure that was finishing fifth in the Premier League. And, yes, this is the club who, when choosing a new manager last May, went for the man with a record for delivering immediate results rather than investing the time and resources on somebody with a more long-term vision, one in keeping with the club’s long-established approach.

But as the country glares constantly at the Premier League table this week for lack of actual football leading up to Boxing Day, there is more to judge Jose Mourinho on than United’s current league standing well adrift of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Mourinho himself has pointed repeatedly to the fact that United’s performances have been on a whole other level to their results, and while he has exaggerated the point to an extent it is certainly true that they have been better than their current 30-point haul suggests. More than that, the recent run which saw them beat Zorya Luhansk, Spurs, Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in a nine-day period justifies the manager’s mantra.