Why does Jose Mourinho sound so miserable at Manchester United?
What is wrong with Jose Mourinho? It is a question that is impossible to ignore and extremely difficult to answer. Riddle me this, riddle me that, is Mourinho really miserable or is this all part of an act?
If you listen to him speak or have watched him slouching his way from California to Arizona, and back again, projecting a mood of perpetual indifference to everything that has happened so far on Manchester United’s USA tour, you would be forgiven for thinking all is not well.
READ MORE: Marcos Rojo fears for Man United future
READ MORE: Gossip - Real want ‘to swoop for Lloris’, Chelsea ‘target Rob Green’
He did not seem to enjoy having to leave their training base at the sparkling UCLA campus to play games in Phoenix and Santa Clara, he was infuriated by the delay in getting Alexis Sanchez a visa to enter the USA, he is depressed by the absence of so many of his key players from this camp because of their international commitments at the World Cup.
He has been unimpressed by claims from Anthony Martial’s agent that, even though United have indicated they want to extend the forward’s contract by another year – taking it up to 2020 – the young Frenchman still wants to leave because he does not want to play for him anymore.
That prompted a fractious response, with Mourinho insisting he would not fight to keep an unhappy player and that, if he really wants to leave, all he has to do is say so.
Mourinho is frustrated by the lack of progress in recruitment, still waiting for the new centre-back he wanted at the end of last season, still perplexed by the lack of urgency being shown when the transfer window shuts on August 9.
Even when he is asked about a positive story, to comment on Paul Pogba’s inspirational performances for France, Mourinho, instead, wanted to stress that the club’s record signing is yet to show that sort of form consistently enough for his club, because he does not have the same drive and determination.
Not for the first time, as he heads into his third season at Old Trafford, Mourinho does not look or sound like a man who is enjoying his job, which inevitably provokes you to question whether he is still the right man to do it. Perhaps a first win of the summer, over AC Milan in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, will lift his spirits.
READ MORE: Fred could be an important player for us, but let's wait - Mourinho
READ MORE: Ronaldo skips Juve training to promote CR7 brand with Chinese kids in Beijing
Yet, this is the persona Mourinho choses to project. He is, according to those in and around the United camp, completely different away from the public glare - upbeat, positive and motivational.
This is, we are told, just a ploy to keep expectations in check for a team that finished 19 points behind Manchester City last term, to holster pre-season optimism rather than fire it.
It is merely an elaborate performance designed to put pressure on those around him to deliver the new signings - Leicester City’s Harry Maguire remains his top defensive target – that are needed to unlock a title challenge next season.
The spin is that Mourinho is perfectly happy and the players are responding positively to the hard work being done on the training pitches of America’s West Coast. You might not think it, but all is well, United are on course for a successful season.
So, just ignore the manager when he responds to a question about whether he is getting what he wants out of pre-season with a “No, I got the facilities as always, I got the incredible commitment of the people that is involved in the process of preparing a good pre-season, I am happy with the matches, the evolution of the matches, but I don't have the players to work.
“I don't have the majority of the players that are going to be in the squad on August 9 when the market closes and we can make the squad official for the season, so of course I'm not happy to have just a few players.”
And do not worry when, in a separate interview with ESPN, Mourinho scowls and mutters about new signings, “One thing is what I would like. Another thing is what is going to happen... I would like to get two more players...”
Everything is fine, although I guess we will find out for real when United start the new season with two eminently winnable games against Leicester, at home, and Brighton away. Pre-season matters, but only until the real action begins.
