José Mourinho safe for now amid business as usual at Manchester United

José Mourinho is safe as Manchester United manager for the immediate future, with it being business as usual for the 55-year-old despite Sunday’s insipid 3-1 loss at Liverpool.

Mourinho is coming under increasing pressure because of United’s poor season so far, a run that has left them in sixth place, yet the Guardian understands that Mourinho is to remain in place.

The defeat by Jürgen Klopp’s team left United 19 points behind Liverpool, the leaders, and 11 from Chelsea in the final Champions League berth. After 17 games, Mourinho’s side have a goal difference of zero and have lost five matches, winning seven times, in United’s poorest start to the season since 1990.

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As United have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup Mourinho has a clear week to prepare for Saturday’s trip to Cardiff City. The rest of their fixtures during the festive period are the visits of Huddersfield Town and Bournemouth before the trip to Newcastle United on 2 January.

Mourinho made the stark admission after the game at Anfield that his team had been unable to cope with Liverpool’s physicality and intensity. “Robertson, Mané, Salah, Wijnaldum, Keïta, Fabinho: they are physical players and on top of that they are good players technically,” he said. “I have lot of good players technically but we don’t have lots of players with that intensity, that physicality, so when the game has high levels of intensity it is difficult for us.”