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Jose Mourinho is refusing to speak to Manchester United’s main in-house television reporter at MUTV.

I can reveal manager Mourinho has withdrawn co-operation for pre- and post-match interviews with presenter and commentator Stewart Gardner.

The Special One took exception to questions from Gardner following the 1-1 with West Ham at Old Trafford on November 27 – their fourth home draw in a sequence of disappointing Premier League results.

I understand Mourinho was unhappy with being quizzed on the club’s own TV channel about United’s stuttering league form and made his feelings known to Gardner and the club’s media team after the match.

(Image: Action Images via Reuters) (Image: Action Images via Reuters)

And for the three games which have since followed - against West Ham in the EFL Cup, the Premier League draw away to Everton and the Europa League win at Zorya Luhansk in Odessa – he has refused to take questions from Gardner.

United insiders believe Mourinho has over-reacted in this instance, frustrated at a damaging run of five draws which have seen his stars lose touch with the title-chasing pack.

Many will point to the spat as more evidence that the 53-year-old is feeling the heat at Old Trafford as he struggles to turn United back into a trophy-winning club.

But it’s not the first time Mourinho has clashed with TV reporters.

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While manager at Chelsea, he fell out with the club’s own in-house station Chelsea TV and had spells where he refused to speak to them if he felt he was being criticised unfairly.

He’s in good company at United — former boss Sir Alex Ferguson also on occasions refused to co-operate with MUTV.

The subscription channel is available worldwide and is more of a commercial operation than Chelsea TV.

As such former players including David May, Lou Macari and Mickey Thomas act as pundits – and criticism doesn’t always go down well with managers.

Gardner is a respected figure at Old Trafford, having joined MUTV from the BBC in 2007.

(Image: Man Utd via Getty)

He worked with Ferguson on matchdays and has subsequently dealt with the Scot's successors Louis van Gaal and David Moyes, and staff praise his professionalism and diplomacy.

I understand United's head of communications Phil Townsend has not yet been asked to mediate in the dispute, but sources at the club hope the matter will be resolved soon.

An insider said: “It’s felt the manager has overreacted on this occasion and that’s why he’s refusing to speak with Stewart Gardner.

“The presenters and commentators have to tread a fine line between stating what’s clearly obvious if the team isn’t winning games, but not upsetting the manager or coaching staff.

(Image: Man Utd via Getty)

“Sometimes that’s not always possible and inevitably there will be difficult moments like the present situation. Hopefully it will be resolved very soon.”

United declined to comment.

* JOSE MOURINHO’S scouts ran checks on Las Palmas central defender Mauricio Lemos last month.

The 20-year-old Uruguayan is earning rave reviews in Spain this season and the Manchester United manager’s spies watched him in La Liga and Copa Del Rey games.

Lemos joined Las Palmas on loan from Russian side Rubin Kazan last January and completed a permanent switch in the summer.

He is rated at around £6.5million.