Jose Mourinho has the "quality and pedigree" to turn Manchester United's season around, according to former striker Louis Saha.

Mourinho has come under scrutiny following United's disappointing start to the season, which has already left trailing Premier League leaders and local rivals Manchester City by 12 points.

United currently sit eighth in the table with 20 points after 12 games, a total which means they are six points worse off than when they were second at this stage last season.

But Saha, who scored 42 goals in 124 games in four years at Old Trafford, believes the Portuguese tactician can reverse the club's fortunes.

"He is definitely someone who can do that," Saha told Sky Sports.

"He has got the quality, the pedigree, there is nothing wrong with that. We make mistakes as humans and he has done it.

"He is a grown man and he will identify where he has to improve.

"He doesn't have as much margin to do it but the club have identified they need to be stable to be consistent.

"It is all about results. If you win you get time, if you don't…"

The struggles on the pitch has caused strain within the club and Mourinho has had a number of public spats, especially with Paul Pogba, who was stripped of the captaincy after criticising his manager's tactics after the 1-1 draw with Wolves.

And while Saha thinks Pogba looks happier when he's with the France national team, he accepts managing the 25-year-old for the entire season may not be an easy task for Mourinho.

"It is a different atmosphere," he added. "In terms of the World Cup, for example, the manager managed him in a way that players around him were complementary.

In Pictures | Manchester City vs Manchester United | 11/11/2018 34 show all In Pictures | Manchester City vs Manchester United | 11/11/2018 1/34 Getty Images 2/34 Getty Images 3/34 REUTERS 4/34 REUTERS 5/34 PA 6/34 PA 7/34 Getty Images 8/34 REUTERS 9/34 EPA 10/34 Getty Images 11/34 AFP/Getty Images 12/34 AFP/Getty Images 13/34 Getty Images 14/34 AFP/Getty Images 15/34 REUTERS 16/34 Action Images via Reuters 17/34 Action Images via Reuters 18/34 Action Images via Reuters 19/34 PA 20/34 PA 21/34 REUTERS 22/34 Getty Images 23/34 REUTERS 24/34 REUTERS 25/34 Action Images via Reuters 26/34 PA 27/34 Action Images via Reuters 28/34 Action Images via Reuters 29/34 Getty Images 30/34 Getty Images 31/34 PA 32/34 Getty Images 33/34 PA 34/34 Getty Images 1/34 Getty Images 2/34 Getty Images 3/34 REUTERS 4/34 REUTERS 5/34 PA 6/34 PA 7/34 Getty Images 8/34 REUTERS 9/34 EPA 10/34 Getty Images 11/34 AFP/Getty Images 12/34 AFP/Getty Images 13/34 Getty Images 14/34 AFP/Getty Images 15/34 REUTERS 16/34 Action Images via Reuters 17/34 Action Images via Reuters 18/34 Action Images via Reuters 19/34 PA 20/34 PA 21/34 REUTERS 22/34 Getty Images 23/34 REUTERS 24/34 REUTERS 25/34 Action Images via Reuters 26/34 PA 27/34 Action Images via Reuters 28/34 Action Images via Reuters 29/34 Getty Images 30/34 Getty Images 31/34 PA 32/34 Getty Images 33/34 PA 34/34 Getty Images

"The World Cup was only one month, but the championship is completely different.

"You have a set of challenges that you can't always anticipate.​"