Manchester United news: Players 'stunned' by Jose Mourinho's 'hands-off' training approach

Manchester United’s start to life under Jose Mourinho has not been the fairy tale story that many had hoped for, and reports suggest that his ‘hands-off’ approach to training has left the players surprised and stunned with his methods, having expected much more from the so-called ‘Special One’.

Mourinho was left to look on in horror as his United side were embarrassed in the 4-0 defeat at his former club Chelsea on Sunday, leaving them six points off the lead and five points off the top four.

The fallout from the Stamford Bridge thrashing began immediately, with Mourinho accusing his opposite number, Antonio Conte, of trying to intentionally humiliate him with his celebrations, while past United players such as Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville wasted little time in dissecting what went wrong with the performance.

The Times now reports that certain players among the United squad have been left stunned with Mourinho’s approach to training at their Carrington base, with the former Chelsea manager sometimes stepping out of the session completely and allowing his assistant, Rui Faria, to take charge of the session.

The report credits a source close to one of the senior players among the United squad, who added that Mourinho will often begin the session by instructing his players what to do before making way and heading back to his office, leaving the rest of training to Faria.

Not only is this a new method for the United players to get used to, but it is a change in approach from Mourinho to his time as Chelsea manager. The 53-year-old was often seen out on the training field and leading every session with a hands-on style.

There is also disgruntlement at how Mourinho is handling one-on-one interactions with the players, who feel that he is not showing the personal interest they had hoped for. It’s created an isolated feeling between the squad and the manager, and could be one of the major factors behind Sunday’s capitulation at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho didn’t appear to be himself before or after the weekend encounter, with much of his confidence and bravado absent in the days leading up to the match. There were no bold predictions that Mourinho likes to bat around every now and then, and he was keen to play down the importance of beating his former employers just 10 months after they sacked him.

After the match, Mourinho was involved in a heated exchange with Conte on the sideline, before accusing the Italian of “humiliating” him in his post-match press conference. The multiple incidents were all signs that Mourinho was beginning to crack under the pressure on the afternoon, although there are few who could handle a 4-0 defeat to your former side in a positive way.