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Jose Mourinho’s current problems at Manchester United are “only a moment in time”, claims Gary Neville.

Reds legend Neville insists Mourinho can be successful again at Old Trafford, even though their title hopes are already over and they were outclassed by Juventus in the Champions League in midweek.

The Sky Sports pundit recalled a fallow time during his playing days when they went three years without winning the championship and even legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson was beiung written off.

“In that period, 2003 to 2006, when we didn’t win the league we were inconsistent, we were up and down, we conceded goals,” said Neville. “People think of the Sir Alex Ferguson years and think it was a bed of roses. It wasn’t a bed of roses.

(Image: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

“Jose had first come in at Chelsea , Arsene Wenger had the Invincibles and Rafa Benitez was getting Liverpool to Champions League finals. It was suggested that Sir Alex was past it, had built his final team, that these were the new up-and-coming managers.

“They are saying the same now about Jose, pointing to Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola. But this is only a moment of time. It’s only a period in a 20-year management career.

“I think Jose will be successful again — he was successful only 18 months ago.

(Image: Getty)

“If Jose left today then, in his two-and-half years, he would have won two major trophies, lost an FA Cup Final, finished second and qualified for the Champions League two seasons running — and had United's best finish in the league since Sir Alex retired.”

Meanwhile, Mourinho has hit out at Scotland, Belgium, Portugal and Chile for not sending their injured Manchester United stars back early from international duty.

England sent Luke Shaw straight back because he was injured, as did Serbia with Nemanja Matic, and the Portuguese feels United have lost valuable recovery time.

(Image: AFP/Getty)

But Alexis Sanchez, Marouane Fellaini, Diogo Dalot and Scott McTominay returned injured, Sanchez is out of Sunday’s game against Everton at Old Trafford because of his adductor (thigh/hip) injury and Mourinho is unsure when the others would be fit.

“All of our injuries were with the national teams,” said the United boss. “We played against Newcastle and we go into the international period in a good situation.

“Then after two weeks we lost Dalot in Portugal, Fellaini in Belgium, Alexis with Chile, we lost who else? McTominay with Scotland.

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“Some of them with the national teams they were very professional with us and sent the players back and we could start the process early. But some of them wouldn’t do that and they kept the players. We didn’t even know the dimension and nature of the injuries so when the players arrive two days before Chelsea, we have no idea what’s going on.”

Mourinho also ruled out re-signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic to solve United’s goal-scoring problems, insisting he still has total faith in Romelu Lukaku.

He said: “One day will be the game, one day he will score and one day his confidence levels will be back to normal — which clearly they are not.”