Jose Mourinho had been so concerned by Manchester United’s training sessions in the build-up to the 2-1 defeat to Huddersfield on Saturday that sources say he expressly warned them of the potential for a slip-up, though he was still said to be “stunned” by the nature of the loss.

The Portuguese is known to have ferociously rounded on his team in the dressing room after the game, but that anger was only deepened by his sense that training hadn’t been going as well during the week, especially after the Wednesday trip to Benfica that brought a relatively unconvincing 1-0 win.

With a sharpness lacking, Mourinho had sternly reminded his players that Huddersfield could well take advantage of that, and even used his Friday press conference to talk up David Wagner’s side as a specific message to his own United squad, and to keep them alert.

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That did not work, leading to Mourinho angrily criticising the team after the game, and it is understood that Anthony Martial and Ander Herrera came in for the harshest words.

The United boss is even said to have acerbically commented on how this was exactly why he had wanted Internazionale’s Ivan Perisic in the summer, to perform a specific role on the wing.