United not as ‘glum’ as during Moyes’ tenure – Jones
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal was back at his desk on Monday morning amid speculation he is about to be replaced by Jose Mourinho.
Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Norwich was United’s third successive loss and saw them slip to fifth in the Premier League, nine points off the top spot, resulting in them being booed off the pitch at Old Trafford.
“Whether that in the long run is going to be enough for Manchester United we’ll see”.
The defender said: “I wouldn’t say it’s the lowest moment”. “I think [I will be given time] but I never know, in this world, you never know”.
The players are said to have lost faith in Van Gaal and his methods, despite pledging public support for their beleaguered boss.
They face Stoke – and former striker Mark Hughes – on Boxing Day before Chelsea on December 28. I don’t think a change of management shall bring direct success – but that is what I believe.
Van Gaal believes that he retains the support of the the club’s owners, the Glazer Family, and, perhaps crucially, the players in the midst of a deepening crisis at Old Trafford.
With José Mourinho on the market and looking for a job, United may need to act fast if they want to secure the services of the Portuguese manager.
“We felt if we limited the mistakes we made, we would give ourselves a chance”. “It’s not even questionable in the dressing room”.
“Of course the belief of the fans in the manager is also very important”. Caretaker manager Steve Holland oversaw a much-improved performance against Sunderland in the first game without Mourinho, in which the Blues scored as many goals in the opening 15 minutes as they had in their previous five Premier League matches combined. While the Norwich result feels like the tipping point, United may yet go on to pick up some good results over the next few weeks, putting Saturday’s result into context.
The start of the pressure on Van Gaal came from the side playing pretty turgid football.
“The problem with United is there doesn’t seem to be a vision beyond ‘can we not be what we were like under Sir Alex Ferguson?’ There will be no second Alex Ferguson, and you’d have to restage the 20th century if you wanted another Ferguson”.