Paul Ince: Man United players aren’t playing for Jose Mourinho anymore

It baffles me that Manchester United players are choosing when they want to put effort into playing for their club.

Every player in the shirt should be putting in effort and showing desire, even if you don’t get the result. There’s no excuse for not putting in effort.

These are professional footballers, on astronomical wages, playing for one of the biggest clubs ever. It doesn’t sit right with me that it looks like they can’t be bothered.

Yes, there might be a couple of players who are trying – but you need the whole team to be contributing.

It looks to me as though they’re not interested in playing for Jose Mourinho anymore.

When I played for the club, I saw it as an honour and although I didn’t always play well, no one could ever accuse me of not putting the work in.

What I find disappointing is those players are happy for Mourinho to take the blame.

They should be admitting the fact that they are responsible for the way they’re playing. They’re throwing him under the bus, despite putting in poor performances every week. And they’re getting away with it.

Some players want Man United to get beat, just so that there’s pressure on Mourinho to be sacked.

The amount of times that you see a new manager go to a club and suddenly, the whole team are up for it. You have to question the attitude of the squad.

United players ‘must do better’ – Lukaku has been atrocious

Of course the fans were quiet at Old Trafford against Valencia! The players should be giving it their all, showing how up for it they are.

Why would the supporters want to cheer the Man United side they’re seeing at the moment?

The Alexis Sanchez situation, for example. He was a world class player at Arsenal. Now, it’s hard to believe he’s even the same person.

If I’m Ed Woodward, paying Sanchez top cash, I’d be asking why he hasn’t even been making the team in certain games. If I’m splashing that kind of money, I want to see what I’m getting for it.

If the argument is that he has a bad attitude, then why does Mourinho still insist on playing Paul Pogba?

There’s no one in the team has had such an openly negative attitude toward the club, yet he plays every game. This is Man United we’re talking about. Players must do better.

Romelu Lukaku has been atrocious, against Valencia he was terrible to watch. His scoring record is phenomenal, and he’s evidently talented, but he must contribute more.

When you look at what someone like Sergio Aguero does for Man City – it doesn’t compare.

He contributes to all aspects of the game. Lukaku has to have the ball right in front of him, and even then, he’s missing clear chances.

Jose Mourinho’s time is running out

If they don’t get a result against Newcastle this weekend, Jose Mourinho is in real danger. He won’t walk, because that’s not in his character. I hate the thought of him being sacked.

But, if you’re not picking up results and there’s this black cloud hanging around Old Trafford, your time as manager is running out.

If they lose on Saturday evening, particularly if it’s a bad loss, there will be a decision made on Mourinho’s future very quickly.

The signs are not looking good for him. The fact is, United are no better off than they were before Mourinho.

In the past, you’d say United aren’t the kind of club to just sack a manager. However, it seems that is what they’re like now.

United are there for the taking

What worries me, is that Man United are losing their presence. There’s no awe about them anymore.

They’re there for the taking, and other teams know that. It’s the perfect time to play them.

As much as it grinds me to say it, Manchester City have the wow factor now, so do Liverpool. Teams are looking and they’re worried to go to Anfield or the Etihad.

The power has well and truly shifted.

How many players from United’s team would get into City’s? One – David de Gea. In fact, he’s the only one that would make it into a Premier League XI. That’s simply not good enough.

We shouldn’t be saying at this stage of the season that they’re out of the title race, but they are.