Jose Mourinho was conspicuous by his absence when Manchester United’s directors and senior figures gathered for a drinks reception at The Langham hotel in Marylebone on Saturday evening.

The players had been given permission to make their own plans in London and Mou-rinho, too, had slipped away into the night.

You couldn’t blame the United manager for not wanting to socialise in the wake of a Cup final defeat against his old club Chelsea. Mourinho is a serial winner and defeat has never sat comfortably with him.

Jose Mourinho didn't attend drinks with Manchester United’s directors and senior figures

Truth is, however, there hasn’t been much to put anyone at United in a party mood for quite some time. Mourinho’s joyless demeanour since arriving at Old Trafford two years ago has been mirrored by his players on the pitch.

Here, in the sunshine at Wembley, on an occasion made for a great FA Cup final, one game rather summed it all up.

Yes, Chelsea played their part in denying us a spectacle and defended deep after taking the lead. Mourinho, of all people, would have identified with that. But United lacked the guile and imagination to open up their opponents. It was hard to watch without recalling how this is a club once synonymous with attacking football; the standard-bearers for flair and entertainment, so often showcased in this great competition.

Mourinho’s United are capable of taking off the handbrake, as they showed after a stupefying first half. But, on the whole, they are stuck in the lower gears.

The days when United thrilled a generation with their football, and not only their own fans either, seem very distant now after five years under David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Mourinho. Not once since Sir Alex Ferguson retired have his old club scored five or more goals in a Premier League game. Manchester City have done it 17 times and Liverpool 12.

Bosses gathered for a drinks reception at The Langham hotel in Marylebone on Saturday night

Credit where it’s due. The number of points and goals have picked up again over the last two seasons under the Portuguese coach. United are firmly back among the Champions League elite and in contention for trophies. This was his third cup final in 15 months.

There is no doubt, too, that they have suffered by comparison to Pep Guardiola’s rampant City, who would have given even Ferguson’s greatest teams a run for their money.

But Van Gaal was sacked by Ed Woodward straight after lifting the FA Cup, more for the turgid nature of his football than a failure to qualify for the Champions League. Two years on, and having spent £300million, could you honestly say United are that much better to watch now?

As Woodward, Avi Glazer, Sir Bobby Charlton and David Gill filed forlornly out of Wembley and headed for Marylebone on Saturday night, they will probably have been asking the same questions as the rest of us. Why do marquee players such as Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez look so average while Eden Hazard rises to the big occasion for Chelsea?

How have United become so reliant on Romelu Lukaku? They scored twice in almost six-and-a-half hours of football before their top scorer returned from injury off the bench at Wembley to little effect.

Why have vibrant young players such as Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford apparently lost the trust of the manager and, as a result, their confidence?

Mourinho’s joyless demeanour has been mirrored by his United players on the pitch

Louis van Gaal was sacked after lifting the FA Cup, more for the turgid nature of his football

It was baffling to watch a team with so much attacking talent shift the ball sideways from flank to flank in Wembley’s wide open spaces without purpose or penetration.

Simply throwing more money at the problem this summer won’t necessarily help, considering the lack of impact made by many of United’s signings in recent years.

The back four here were all Ferguson men. Goalkeeper David de Gea is the club’s player of the year once more.

Mourinho was always going to be an awkward fit for United, a club with such swashbuckling traditions.

But after making so much of the fact that he picked up three trophies in his first season at Old Trafford, the 55-year-old must accept the criticism for finishing his second one empty-handed. Even more so when entertainment has been at a premium again.

‘Finals are not for playing, they are for winning,’ Mourinho once said, and he lost this one.

Saturday's back four were all Ferguson men but more money spent this summer may not help

United still look short when you compare them to Manchester City and the best in Europe

He claimed on Friday at United’s country retreat in Hertfordshire that one game would not define their season, win or lose. As he reflected on the defeat, midfielder Nemanja Matic offered a different view.

‘Of course, when you win the trophy it’s different and you feel better,’ said the Serb after losing his second Cup final in a row. ‘When you don’t win one year there is always more pressure the next year. When you play Manchester United, it’s a normal thing. We have to accept that and deal with it.

‘I think we need some players with experience to bring some more qualities to our team. After that, we can fight for the title and the Champions League also.’

United still look short of that level, particularly when you compare them to City in the Premier League and the best Europe has to offer. Somehow Mourinho has to get them there. Whether he can do it with a little more flair is another matter altogether.

As United’s staff and players left Wembley and dispersed around London on Saturday night, the omens didn’t look good.