Former Manchester United manager David Moyes believes Jose Mourinho retains the full backing of both the club and their supporters.
Mourinho reportedly faced the sack regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s fixture with Newcastle, but after their recovery from two goals down to win 3-2 at Old Trafford he has so far remained in his position.
Moyes experienced the ruthlessness of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward’s regime when he was dismissed during his first season there, despite having the support of his influential predecessor Sir Alex Ferguson.
Louis van Gaal was similarly sacked despite winning the FA Cup, but even amid the intense pressure surrounding Mourinho, Moyes senses the Portuguese will be given the time he was not and that Mourinho’s history of success would justify them doing so.
“I think the club are firmly behind the manager, and he’s been a winner, Jose, throughout his career, so I don’t see why that should suddenly change,” the Scot, 55, told Press Association Sport.
“It was a great result — any team that comes from 2-0 down. But the one thing that happens at Old Trafford is the crowd gets right behind you, and is always supportive of the manager and the players.
“They knew that the team needed help; the support helped them, and it was a great win for them — for any team to come from 2-0 down is a great result.”
United’s inconsistency has contributed to questions surrounding whether Mourinho retains his motivational abilities, but Derby manager Frank Lampard — who recently led his side to an unexpected Carabao Cup victory at Old Trafford — is convinced that he does.
Lampard thrived under Mourinho as the key player in Chelsea’s midfield, and he believes that after Saturday’s comeback the onus should instead be on United’s players to raise their standards.
“It was a big win,” the 40-year-old told Press Association Sport.
“They’re a team full of quality players; a club that success is demanded of, week-in, week-out, season on season. For Jose Mourinho, being a manager myself now, I know how tough it is when things aren’t quite going right.
“It was a massive win, which I was personally very happy with for him, and now it’s down to the players. The players have to perform at the level they did in the second half against Newcastle every week,
“As a manager you need to be able to handle every circumstance. Sometimes it’s all great and you maybe don’t have to do much; things tick over and go well.
“Sometimes things are hard and you have to make difficult decisions, try and influence people around you, influence your players to try and get the best out of them. I think he’s got all those attributes so I hope that it turns around for him going forward.”
Former United striker Wayne Rooney has called on the present Old Trafford squad to do better for their manager.
Rooney, now playing for DC United in Major Soocer League in the United States, told the Daily Telegraph: “It’s tough [at United], it has been a tough situation.
“The players, the manager, it has been a tough start to the season. I know Jose is getting a load of stick but I said a few weeks ago, the players have to stand up. They have to be counted and they have to be better.
“The manager can do so much but then it is down to the players on the pitch to produce and probably collectively. It [the poor run of form] is a bit of everything coming together but Jose is an easy target. Some of the players have to be better.
“I said the same thing when Louis van Gaal was there. He took a lot of stick but behind closed doors I said to the players, ‘We have to be doing better’.
“Personally I think he [Van Gaal] set us up brilliantly but we didn’t produce on the pitch so I am sure that is getting said behind the scenes.”
Rooney added on united’s struggles this season: “It’s a young team, different pressure, quite a lot of those players maybe haven’t faced this before and they maybe haven’t got the senior players which I had there as a young player to help in those difficult moments. There are not enough of them to help you through it.”
