Is it time for Mourinho to leave?

Last year, amidst immense criticism, the Premier League saw an emotional goodbye from Arsene Wenger, after just over two decades at Arsenal. Mourinho is facing the same wrath from fans and critics alike, which Wenger was subject to, but Mourinho doesn't have the longevity at the club to back him up like the Frenchman did.

Arsene Wenger built a great Premier League legacy with Arsenal, which was a solid defence for him against the critics for many years, despite poor results. With Mourinho, however, it gets difficult to find accolades to draw upon for his time at United, and so he's become a vulnerable target.

The question which arises now is, is it time for Mourinho to step down as the manager of Manchester United?

The heart of the matter

It all started with the string of poor performances from the Red Devils last season. The fuel was then added in the fire by the extraordinary performance of Manchester City – their fierce rivals.

Later on, some players showed unhappiness with the way Mourinho was dealing with the situation that was developing in the dressing room and beyond.

Paul Pogba has been very vocal about the matter and Manchester United would certainly not want to lose him over Mourinho.

This season saw the worst home defeat in a long time against Tottenham (3-0). Although the Red Devils won their last game against Burnley, it came with a three-match suspension for Marcus Rashford, following a clash with Phil Bardsley.

Should Mourinho step down?

Albeit with a little arrogance, Mourinho reminded his critics that he has won three Premier League trophies as a manager, more than all the other nineteen managers combined.

Past records are in the favour of Mourinho, but he shouldn’t forget about the time when he had to step down as Chelsea’s manager after a bad start in the 2015/16 season, following a successful run in the season before it. A similar situation is now developing at Old Trafford.

It’s important for Mourinho to acknowledge the fact that no matter how good a manager is, if he can’t keep the team with him, he can’t lead it to success either.

Author’s take

Although it’s a bit early to judge just how badly United are performing this season, Mourinho hasn’t given the fans any good memories either to help them get through this tough time.

It is true that a manager’s credibility and success can’t be measured from a few games and their inability to sign a new star, but the level of dissatisfaction amongst the fans and players has certainly rose to the level where the next game against Watford could potentially decide the future of Mourinho at Old Trafford.

The international break should give him a good amount of time to introspect and figure out what he needs to do to get United back on track, before it's too late.