Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has expressed concerns about Jose Mourinho's management style.
Mourinho replaced Louis van Gaal in the Old Trafford hotseat this summer, with his predecessor having been heavily criticised for his negative style of play.
However, Parker does not expect that to change under Mourinho, and also pointed to the former Chelsea manager's treatment of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Juan Mata as causes for concern.
"It comes down to how he handles situations with individual players because he's all about people who love Mourinho and if you don't show him what he wants that is you gone. All he wants from his players is that they love him. If you work with someone you may not like him but if he's doing a good job for you then you stick with him. With Mourinho, it doesn't work that way and therein lies the problem. That's why Schweinsteiger has been pushed away. With Mata there seems to be a reprieve, but I'm sure Mata hasn't been fooled by that after starting against Bournemouth," he told 888sport.com.
"For Mourinho to be at the sharp end of Manchester United that's a concern for me because he is saying that he has changed, but he said that at the start of his second spell at Chelsea. We saw what happened twelve months later. There is no way Sir Alex [Ferguson] would have handled the Schweinsteiger affair like Mourinho has done. He would be told he can leave but would have treated him with respect and still involved him in first team training as long as he had the right professional attitude. Mourinho never gave Schweinsteiger the opportunity to be professional about the situation.
"Every team has an identity and a certain style of playing. Even Liverpool under Klopp still have some of that football they had in the 1980s. United lost that under Van Gaal and I don't think they can retain it under Mourinho. It's sluggish and slow with no pace in the team that shows when they're attacking. The ball isn't shifted around quick enough. Mata isn't being used as a focal point and instead it comes to Rooney who controls, looks and passes."
Parker also claimed that United will struggle to make the top four this season without further additions.
Barney Corkhill
