Saturday’s thumping display at the Old Trafford was much needed for Manchester United and most importantly, for Jose Mourinho. United’s 4-1 drilling of Fulham was their first win in five PL games.
In the early Premier League era, United’s greatest competitors, without a shadow of a doubt, were Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal. Both sides are going through transition periods now but it seems like the Gunners are going very well under their new manager.
To see one of his old fierce rivals slumping down so badly didn’t impress former Arsenal defender Martin Keown. Keown represented the club in over 400 Premier League matches and had his share of iconic moments against United.
He appreciated the way United showed their dominance against Fulham, but he also wrote in column that Jose is just about hanging on the edge.
“Without doubt, they have to win [against Fulham] convincingly,” Keown wrote in his column for The Daily Mail.
“It feels like Mourinho is clinging on and Manchester United simply must respond with a performance.
The 52-year-old also raised doubts on why United should invest heavily on Mourinho when he doesn’t play the 52 Million Pound signing Fred. He also took a dig at Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku, two players who had a scintillating World Cup campaign for their respective countries but failed miserably since August.
Apart from lambasting Pogba’s attitude, he also said that the midfield sensation lacks spontaneity. He reckons strikers like Lukaku should be more like a tiger rather than a pussycat.
“You look at Fred, a player United spent £52million on who cannot get a game. Are United really going to commit another £52m or more to Mourinho in January to strengthen the squad?”
“Pogba takes so many touches on the ball. Everything looks choreographed with him — he doesn’t seem to do anything spontaneously.
“For me, Lukaku just watches the game. Yes, he was effective in United’s second goal after coming off the bench but I don’t see him make runs into the channels. I have said before that he needs to play less like a pussycat and more like a tiger,” Keown wrote.
AUTHOR’S TAKE
Cannot agree more with his assessment on all the two players he mentioned. Yet, Keown seems to have underestimated United board’s trust on Mourinho. The club has not been vocal about backing the Portuguese manager, but clearly, he has the board’s full backing.
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