Reports: Jose Mourinho could get the sack if Manchester United lose to Burnley
What's the rumour?
One game. That's all Jose Mourinho is going to get to save his job at Manchester United after their back-to-back defeats in the Premier League which has left the Red Devils languishing at 13th place in the points table.
At least, that's according to the Daily Mail, who state United’s players were “confused” by Mourinho’s tactics in Monday’s 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham and another loss in their next game against Burnley could see the Portuguese get the chop.
In case you didn't know...
Much to the delight of fans, Mourinho joined Manchester United in 2016 replacing Louis Van Gaal. Although he won the League Cup, Europe League and the Community Shield in his first season, he is yet to deliver the one thing that matters the most -- the Premier League title.
He is having a torrid time managing the Red Devils as they have managed only 3 points from 3 games so far this season, having lost two matches on the trot against Brighton and Tottenham.
A trophy-less last season coupled with the disastrous start to the current campaign has left many to believe that his time at Old Trafford might be up.
The heart of the matter
The seed of unrest that has engulfed United's dressing room was sowed last season when Mourinho dropped star player Pogba to the bench and publicly criticized Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. It is refusing to die down any time soon.
And what's worse, the team-morale has hit a new low after they endured the worst start to a Premier League season in 26 years. They have had a turbulent summer transfer window and a poor show in the league has only added insult to injury.
Mourinho took to an unusual 3-5-1-1 formation against Spurs, with Ander Herrera deployed as a central defender which, in the end, turned out the reason for their undoing.
Anthony Martial and Eric Bailly were left out of the matchday squad who are reportedly disgruntled with the decision, while the manager's post-match press conference antics caused “bemusement” in the United boardroom.
As such, the report claims players and staff believe the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss will be sacked if the result doesn't come in their favour on Sunday.
Rumour rating/Probability: 5/10
United's chief executive vice-chairman is not in favour of making a third change in less than four-and-a-half years but will come under enormous pressure if they suffer a third straight defeat on Sunday.
The general feeling is that a marching order for Mourinho might just be around the corner but whether this will happen after Burnley game, we'll have to wait and see. We're going with a 50-50 for this one.
Video: Mourinho's "Respect" rant in the post-match Press conference
What's next?
Turf Moor isn’t the ideal ground to visit when you are desperate for a win, and Sunday's game, therefore, promises to be fascinating.