It would be unfair to blame Mourinho for all the current problems United are facing. There have been a series mistakes made since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club 5 years ago in what would turn out to be a fateful summer for many United fans. It was never going to be easy to replace Ferguson after 26 and a half years under the legendary Scot- it was always going to be a period of upheaval after such a long spell under one manager, particularly one who was so successful.
Ironically, the first mistake really was committed by Ferguson himself- strangely opting to hire David Moyes instead of the available Pep Guardiola. Imagine how different things would have turned out if Guardiola had got the United job instead of Moyes. Many current United fans might say the same about hiring Guardiola instead of Mourinho in 2016.
Moyes never really understood what United was all about and never really bought into the ‘big club’ mentality. The fact that Fellaini was his only notable signing of that era (although there are some that admire the big Belgian’s er ‘qualities’) kind of tells its own story. To add further salt to the wound, fierce rivals Liverpool and Manchester City recorded league doubles over United that season, which was unheard of under Sir Alex.
After Moyes got the boot, Louis Van Gaal was hired. It’s hard to say whether this was an even more disastrous appointment than the hapless Scot. Van Gaal had a history of falling out with players and management wherever he managed (rather like a certain Jose Mourinho).
Even though Van Gaal delivered a very credible 4th place finish in his first season (though that could have been higher had the club’s league form not tailed off towards the end of the season) and made some good signings (like Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera), he again never really understood what United was all about.
Just like Moyes before, Van Gaal made a series of costly mistakes- buying and selling Angel Di Maria (who has since thrived at PSG where he has the actual backing of his manager) and also letting go of fan favourites Robin Van Persie, Nani and Javier Hernandez. If 2014/15 was a reasonable season for United, the following season was really where the rot set in despite winning the FA Cup. A series of uninspiring, negative performances led United to 5th place and maybe the only bright spot of that season was Marcus Rashford coming to the fore, albeit briefly.
Much has been written criticising Mourinho but if anything he has been a marginal improvement on Moyes and Van Gaal. 2nd last season was the highest the club have finished since Fergie left, though a repeat performance looks unlikely this season.
All of the above however illustrates that clearly lessons have not been learned since Sir Alex Ferguson left. Anyone who is interested in football knows that Sir Alex won titles and trophies through a blend of attacking football and sheer force to wear the opponents down. Fergie never criticised a player in public and the dressing room was tight-knit, with the players having the utmost respect for the manager, Ryan Giggs even referred to Ferguson as a father figure.
However, since Sir Alex left, United have deviated from everything that brought them success- attacking, attractive football, a winning mentality and a really close dressing room. Under Moyes, Mourinho and Van Gaal, none of these have happened- the football has been bland, there seems to be no confidence among the players and the dressing room has been divided. It seems inevitable that Mourinho will get the sack at some point this season.