As a symbol of the shambolic state of things at Manchester United these days, the sight of the team bus carrying Jose Mourinho and his players turning up just 45 minutes before kick-off at Old Trafford felt rather fitting.

Sir Alex Ferguson used to say Manchester United was a bus that waits for no man. Now that bus can’t even turn up on time. Jose Mourinho is someone who purports to be all about the small details so what sort of message did that send ahead of another game United had to win?

The club were forced to ask Uefa if they could delay kick-off by five minutes as a consequence and it set the tone for another fitful evening at Old Trafford.

It was not just off the field that United’s timing was off. On it, Mourinho’s players again looked so out of step against Valencia. Not as bad as Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at West Ham but that’s not saying much yet the more you watch them, the more irretrievable the situation looks for a manager who is cutting an increasingly isolated figure. Paul Scholes already believes it is at the point of no return and was uncompromising in his criticism of Mourinho.

“I think it’s a bad situation. I’m actually sat here surprised he (Mourinho) survived after Saturday the performance was that bad,” the former United midfielder said.

Sanchez was dropped against West Ham, but then started against Valencia credit: PA

“In terms of attitude and performance it was just nowhere near. He’s coming out in press conferences, he’s constantly having a go at players, he’s having a go at people above him because he’s not getting what he wants and I think his mouth is probably out of control and I think he’s embarrassing the club.”

Indeed, it is indicative of just how bad it has got between Mourinho and his squad that he is now picking fights with Antonio Valencia, who is about as low maintenance as professionals get.

But whereas some players are clearly not pulling for Mourinho, Valencia’s struggles here looked less a consequence of a fall-out with his manager, however debilitating that may be, and rather another stark reminder of how time and injuries have caught up with the Ecuadorian.

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Valencia had plenty of joy getting in behind the huge space left by United’s increasingly immobile right-back and he seemed to resolve pretty early on that his best chance of curbing Goncalo Guedes’s influence was to give the Portugal midfielder a good old boot. Only Tomaz Klancnik will know how he failed to book Valencia for careering through Guedes, not least given that the referee showed Francis Coquelin a yellow card for much less soon after.

It was abundantly clear Valencia had little confidence in either his body or his touch and, as half-time beckoned, he was even struggling to take throw-ins properly. When one opportunity to get in behind presented itself, Valencia decided he did not have the legs to do so, tried cutting inside and then realised he didn’t have a left foot.

You really have to wonder how Diogo Dalot, impressive on his debut against Young Boys, was not preferred but then Mourinho’s logic is hard to rationalise these days. Valencia was left out against West Ham after Mourinho rebuked his captain for failing to attend last week’s Carabao Cup defeat by Derby County but was back in the team three days later.

United players are deflated after drawing with Valencia credit: Getty Images

Similarly, Alexis Sanchez was not considered worthy of a place in United’s squad against West Ham, despite travelling down to London, but he was also back in the starting line-up here. Marcus Rashford’s attitude was questioned in a team meeting last week but he, too, started.

And what of Eric Bailly, marginalised in the extreme but expected to bring solidity to United’s central defence against the Spaniards. Mourinho picks needless fights with players then picks them and wonders why they keep falling short for him.

Even the things Mourinho can still exert control over these days appear muddled and confused. This was the ninth different defence he has fielded in 10 matches this season. He admitted after the Spurs defeat in August that he did not know his best defence but, let’s face it, he does not even know his best team. This a man who was once famed for his clarity of thought but his decision-making has become as confused as his team. It really is an ugly sight.