Mourinho suggested last week that results might have been better at this stage had he stuck with Van Gaal’s way of playing but said he was determined to honour United’s traditions of attacking football and that effectively having to recondition players had put him at a disadvantage. It is thought there is sympathy among United’s hierarchy with that viewpoint.

Mourinho spent almost £150 million in the transfer window last summer, when he smashed the world transfer record to sign France midfielder, Paul Pogba, from Juventus for £89 million, but he is expected to be backed again in the market next year. The Portuguese believes some of the signings in recent years have not been of the required standard and will only bring in recruits next month if players of the sufficient quality are available. United have taken steps to drastically improve their scouting operation, at first team level as well as academy level, by embarking on a huge recruiting drive over the past year.