Another loss for Manchester United means another week of exploring why exactly Jose Mourinho has yet to be a success at the Red Devils.
Dan McDonnell, the Irish Independent's football correspondent, joined Ger in studio on OTB:AM this morning to discuss United's 1-0 loss at Old Trafford to bottom placed Premier League side West Brom.
Talking about the recent defeat, and the theme of the side's season, McDonnell said that he can't see a way where Mourinho turns the performances of the side around, seeing as he's already had plenty of money to spend and hasn't had much success with his signings.
"I just don't think that it's going to happen for Jose. You watch them right, they're a couple of seasons into his tenure there and he's spent a fair bit of money no matter what he says otherwise, and you watch them yesterday thinking 'they're going to have to spend a lot of money again to address this', because there's a combination of players that either aren't playing for him or are deprived of confidence".
McDonnell noted the poor performances of a number of players, but highlighted the two star signings of Mourinho's time in charge, Alexis Sanchez and Paul Pogba, as players who have failed to reach the level they were at before signing for their current manager.
"The perception now of Sanchez is even changing. You're just looking at him going 'either you're not fancying this, or they haven't figure out how to use you, or you've just come into this environment straight away and found that this isn't going to be a place where you're going to thrive' ".
"You would think Pogba after the derby performance, well that's where you play him firstly, and secondly that there would be some kind of natural confidence boost, but it's all evaporated in the space of seven days. It just goes to show that you cannot overreact to one performance, to one result".
Mourinho has made a point this season to tell the fans and media about his crowning achievements from previous years at other clubs, but McDonnell said that past glories mean little in a world where people demand a constant level of success.
"It's sort of laughing stock territory now, that after every defeat he reminds people of what he did and what he used to do".
"No one's denying that he's been a very good manager, but people are living in the here and now, things are evolving, and that team isn't evolving in a way that makes you think next year is going to be there year".
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