Jose Mourinho admits Manchester United stars are in comfort zone – as Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard get slated
Boss says some players struggle being at such a big club - in the week Rio Ferdinand and Paul Ince hit out at dance photos
JOSE MOURINHO admits some of his players are living in a comfort zone.
Manchester United’s boss feels some are not coping with the demands of playing for the club.
Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard were this week slammed by former stars Rio Ferdinand and Paul Ince for posting a new “dab” celebration dance.
Keep up to date with ALL the Manchester United gossip and transfers on our club page plus fixtures, results and live match commentary
United face Leicester tomorrow sixth in the Prem and Ferdinand said: “Until you’re winning, that’s when you go out and do stuff like that.”
Mourinho has no issues with the criticism and says it is taking him time to get all of his players into right winning mentality for success.
He said: “I didn’t know the players very well when I came here.
“I didn’t know that some need time to live with this, because it must be part of your natural habitat.
“Play to win, responsibility to win, cope with the pressure to win.
“This is something that has to belong to your natural habitat. For some guys, it doesn’t.”
Mourinho also has no problem with criticism from the fans who are complaining that no real progress has been made under him.
United drew 0-0 with struggling Hull in midweek, recording — the ninth draw of his first campaign.
So far this season only 33 Premier League goals have been scored in 23 games from 391 attempts on target
The success rate is only just better than Hull and Southampton and the second worst at United in the Prem area.
Only Mourinho’s predecessor — Louis van Gaal — oversaw a worse scoring run by this stage last season.
Mourinho added: “I agree, we are not scoring enough, we are not taking the chances we should.
"But football has changed so much, even in the four years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
“The only thing that hasn’t changed in me is that desire to work and that desire to win.
“I don’t accept anything that is good. You don’t want good, you want very good. That’s something I fight for and I will fight for forever.”