Jose Mourinho is now the bookies’ favourite to be the first Premier League manager sacked this season.
Man United are also at their longest pre-season odds ever to win the title.
It all adds up to some serious summer anxiety for United fans with the new league campaign kicking off in just over a week.
SIGN UP NOW – It’s time to pick your fantasy football team for the new season
Sign up to play Dream Team 2018/19 now
- Dream Team is back and better than ever ahead of the new Premier League season
- Completely free to play
- £400k jackpot up for grabs across the season
- SIGN UP FOR DREAM TEAM 2018/19 HERE
At the weekend the Special One morphed into peak moody, morbid Mourinho, scattering a wagon wheel of disdain in every direction after a convincing 4-1 defeat to Liverpool in Michigan.
He attacked the officials, the fans and, inevitably, Anthony Martial – but the most shocking abuse was reserved for the United academy players.
Not only did Mourinho claim he ‘wouldn’t pay to watch’ his side, he also exploded about the support provided for Alexis Sanchez in attack.
“Look, do you want him [Sanchez] to be very happy with the players he has around him?
“We are here just to survive and to have some not very ugly results.
“Alexis is the only striker we have. And the poor man is there trying his best.”
Those players around the Chilean were, among others, promising youngsters Demetri Mitchell, Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira.
United pride themselves on a rich conveyor belt of academy products, dating way back to the class of 92 all the way up to the likes of Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard.
The Red Devils have named a home grown player in every single match day squad for the last 80 years.
Last season no other academy came close to the 32,000 minutes United’s products racked up in the Premier League.
Yet Mourinho appears on a mission to undermine the next generation in a bid to force the board into the transfer market.
Pereira, McTominay and Mitchell may well be fringe players at best this season but they represent the culture of the club.
Without them United lack identity – something Mourinho appears to be eroding away at season upon season.
The free flowing attacking football so synonymous with the historic establishment has disappeared, and insulting their youth is another nail in the coffin.
Mourinho is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.