Jose Mourinho has issued another blunt appraisal of his Manchester United squad by admitting he is stuck with some players who are too weak mentally to succeed at Old Trafford.

The United manager also questioned the overall mindset of his team after declaring that it “doesn’t smell right” that the club could have beaten all of the Premier League’s top six this season but lost to the three promoted sides.

United trail champions Manchester City by 17 points and Mourinho insisted his team still needed to make a big jump both mentally and in quality terms to compete for the title and Champions League next season.

Asked if it was a question of needing more quality or a better mentality to bridge the gap, Mourinho - whose side face West Ham on Thursday night - said: “Both. How many points separate us from Manchester City? Not two, three or four - a lot of points. I think we need both things that you mentioned. Some of the people we have, they have to be more consistent in their performance, and we need more quality.

“I trust some [players] more than others that can bridge that gap. That’s normal. I know the players. I worked with the players for a couple of years. I know them better than anyone. And of course, some of the players I am totally convinced are going to make it. Some others I have good hopes that they are going to make it and some others I don’t believe they are going to make it.”