Jose Mourinho has claimed there is a “manhunt” against him and his Manchester United team that some players are struggling to cope with and which he does not believe even a sharp upturn in results will be enough to stop.

Manchester United produced an extraordinary late fightback against Newcastle United at Old Trafford last night by coming from two goals down to claim a precious 3-2 victory.

A dramatic 90th minute winner from Alexis Sanchez, whose struggles since his January move from Arsenal have been symptomatic of the crisis that has gripped the club, ended a four-match winless streak and eased some of the immediate pressure on Mourinho.

The Manchester United manager had woken to reports stating he would be sacked regardless of the outcome of the game.

Having revealed that he was reassured in a text message from executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to ignore those claims, and stressed that he not held the club at gunpoint when they handed him a new contract in January, Mourinho went on the offensive by condemning a perceived “manhunt” against him and his side.