The real reason why Jose Mourinho is still at Manchester United

What's the story?

According to a Mirror exclusive, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, who is frustrated by the lack of support that Ed Woodward and the board has afforded him, has told his friends that he would have walked out in protest if it was any other club.

In case you didn't know...

Manchester United's failings in the transfer market have been extensively documented. The club's pursuit of a centre-back made headlines for close to a month before the transfer window shut and the club failed to land any of their targets.

As a result, Jose Mourinho cut a frustrated figure throughout Manchester United's pre-season tour and was visibly frustrated with the lack of backing that the club's top brass was giving him.

The heart of the matter

Jose Mourinho had reportedly communicated to the board that he needs to sign a new centre-back if the club is to mount a title challenge and even dream about dethroning cross-city rivals Manchester City this season.

As a result, the Red Devils were heavily linked with Harry Maguire of Leicester City, Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur, Jerome Boateng of Bayern Munich and Yerry Mina of (then Barcelona) Everton among various other prominent names.

However, the club was put off by the valuations of these players and was not willing to splash the cash as they weren't convinced by their Mourinho's long-term plans for these players.

Jose Mourinho also wanted to sign Ivan Perisic but that deal did not materialize either.

As a result, Jose Mourinho feels like Ed Woodward has critically undermined his chances of winning the Premier League this season. This coming only half a year after Mourinho's contract was extended came as baffling to many.

However, Mourinho remains determined to succeed at Manchester United.

What's next?

Mourinho considers his role at Manchester United as the dream job. However, the club's top brass need to take a long, hard look at themselves and understand that they have to fully back their manager as he is the one who is primarily in charge of taking the team, as a unit, forward and that it is his vision, that plays out on the pitch, the only that matters.