Jose Mourinho gave his Manchester United squad an extra day off after their last-ditch win against Newcastle United on Saturday. Alexis Sanchez scored in injury time to ensure United completed a second half comeback against the Magpies after going 2-0 down in the first 15 minutes.
The victory eased some of the pressure on Mourinho and means his job, for the immediate future at least, is likely to be safe. United now have an 11-day break until they’re back in action due to the international break but those not on duty were expected to report back to training on Tuesday.
However, Metro.co.uk understands Mourinho’s given his squad an extra day off as a reward for their comeback and in a bid to rejuvenate the mood in the dressing room.
The likes of Anthony Martial, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Jesse Lingard and Chris Smalling are just some of the first-team stars not involved in the international break.
Mourinho will attend Serbia’s historic clash with Montenegro on Thursday and is likely to keep a close eye on United targets Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Nikola Milenkovic.
The Red Devils face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after the international break and then face a difficult period in which they’ll take on Juventus, Manchester City and Everton.
That period is likely to decide Mourinho’s fate at the club but he’s clearly trying to get the dressing room back on side after a catastrophic start to the Premier League season.
Mourinho’s clashed with Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez, Anthony Martial and Eric Bailly so far this term and is set to meet with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward in London this week for talks.
The meeting has been described as ‘routine’ by the club but will do little to dampen speculation that Mourinho’s job is under severe threat.
Credit: Metro.co.uk