Mourinho is fighting a battle at Man Utd he simply will not win

Manchester United rumours are never far from hitting the back pages in the best of times, let alone these patience-testing, tense, troublesome times. As if the fallout from the home reverse to Tottenham has not been enough, the club’s predicament was worsened, leaving them subject to ridicule, from not just our rivals, but our own in midweek.

If one scenario epitomises the divisions and shambolic running of our club, it is the rumours which emerged on Wednesday that Anthony Martial is in line to sign a new five-year deal.

Martial FC, in their masses, were over the moon with the rumours, joyously engaging their fingers to their keyboards. Others, myself included, whose patience has worn thin with a player constantly threatening to chuck away the potential he has, were in total disbelief at the news.

READ MORE: Martial’s contract U-turn at Man Utd may be down to Zidane’s reported personal intervention

These rumours have Woodward written all over them- and added more hard evidence that he is at complete odds with how Mourinho is looking to operate. After not giving in to his demands for more short-termist signings, this is a player who Mourinho blatantly wanted out of the door.

Now it appears Woodward is intervening, sticking his grubby nose into the playing side once again and, once again, undermining a manager whose task of reviving United’s fortunes is become more and more complex.

This is what happens when a club prioritises commercial success over the playing side- you get the commercially driven signing of Paul Pogba seemingly dictating terms in ugly fashion and a CEO obsessed with that dreaded re-sale value angle. It is wretched, but that seemingly only scratches the surface as far as Martial is concerned.

If rumours are to be believed, the factor behind Martial’s new deal revolves around the fact there is a belief within his camp that he can outlast Mourinho.

This is what Manchester United have turned into, a club with no direction from the top. It is reminiscent of a Hunger Games- fight to the death duel between the two, almost a competition to see who can last the longest. If you will, well Mourinho won’t be here soon anyway so I’ll bide my time. How vile and disrespectful, how about wanting to stay for the badge and playing for, still, one of the biggest clubs around? Forgot that was too much to ask for…

This is a guy who Mourinho omitted from his Tottenham 18 for footballing reasons, a tactical call after his no-show, quelle surprise, against Brighton, much like the season before.

We are indulging players who frankly do not give a monkey’s backside about the badge or striving to reverse United’s slide into laughing stock. Yes, Paul Pogba, I include you in that too.

The cameras have been deliberately fixating on Woodward at full-time of both defeats to Brighton and Spurs, and each time the resentment within me has reached irretrievably irreparable levels.

The Glazer puppet is running the show, not one of the best managers to have ever graced the game.

We have to accept a brutal reality, offering Martial a new deal is further proof Jose Mourinho is fighting a battle he ultimately will not win.

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