Manchester United should sack 'angry' Mourinho and replace him with Pochettino or Simeone, says UK's leading sports psychologist

According to one of football’s leading sports psychologists, Jose Mourinho is “frustrated an angry” and could be replaced by Mauricio Pochettino at Manchester united if he continues to “implode”.

These are the opinions of Clinical Sport Psychologist of the Year Phil Johnson, who has worked with clubs including Monaco and Liverpool and thinks Mourinho’s treatment of his players is “disgraceful”, especially that of left-back Luke Shaw, with Johnson adding that he

Johnson thinks the Old Trafford hierarchy won’t stand for it much longer, with Spurs boss Pochettino and Atletico’s Diego Simeone more likely to fit in at the club and potentially arriving as soon as this summer.

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“They should consider sacking him,” Johnson told BetStars. “I think it’s really bad for the club and if he implodes the way he did at Chelsea, he will create his own untenable position. I think if he carries on behaving like this, the club won’t want to keep him as manager. The institution that is Manchester United will ultimately not tolerate such public criticism of its players and fans.”

“It’s about who’s available and who would want to be available. I think in the summer, there’s going to a number of changes at the very top of European football and then it’s a question of who moves where. I could see Mauricio Pochettino as Manchester United manager and Diego Simeone also comes to mind.”

Then there’s Luke Shaw, who Mourinho has repeatedly criticised in public and Johnson believes that sort of behaviour is damaging to a young player’s development.

He added: “I consider Mourinho’s approach towards Luke Shaw as disgraceful. Humiliation is as traumatic as a life-threatening car accident, your brain does not differentiate between the two. The experience of being publicly humiliated not only undermines a player’s confidence it also breaks the bond of trust between a young player and a very powerful manager.

“Mourinho projects his own frustrations onto players and I think that that’s what’s happening with Luke Shaw. This isn’t about Luke Shaw, this is about Jose Mourinho being a very frustrated and angry person because the players aren’t doing what he expects of them and he has very high standards.

“It’s a criticism which goes beyond acceptability and somehow the team is second in the league. The way that he’s been behaving is unacceptable and I think that in the case of Luke Shaw, it’s absolutely tragic for the player. It’s the worst possible way that the manager can behave in my view. Luke Shaw will go somewhere else and be outstanding and we’ll know why.

“Managers who are the most successful are the ones that really connect with the players on a human basis, the command-style of coaching is outdated. The co-operative way of discussing with players as individuals or a small group is the way forward to know your player as a person not just as a footballer and to understand what’s going on in their lives so you can be supportive with them and get the best out of them. I think that’s what Pep Guardiola does, that’s what [Jurgen] Klopp does for certain.

“Mourinho has been publicly critical of several Man United players during his tenure at Old Trafford. Anthony Martial is still a young player having been sold from Monaco. After a blistering start he lost some form, and became a focus for some of Mourinho’s frustrations, alongside fellow world-class striker Romelu Lukaku, when he too lost his goal scoring touch. From my experience of working with strikers there is a way to move them back into their zone, and it’s supportive, not condemning.”