It’s going to take some time for all of Manchester United’s summer changes to truly take effect. The new players need time to settle in. The players need to fully adjust to the systems of Manager Jose Mourinho. Any regime change includes an adjustment period, and Mourinho’s predecessor Louis van Gaal did things a certain, authoritarian way.
Mourinho is more of a proverbial “players’ coach.”
There will be unexpected developments. Paul Pogba didn’t show the form that earned him the world’s most expensive player status, finally, until last weekend against Leicester City.
That’s one example. Mourinho also needs time to figure out the right lineup and substitutions.
“I need time. I need the players to play,” Mourinho told reporters. “I need to see them in different circumstances and I need to understand more about them. There are so many and so much to learn about the players.”
Then the Portugese made a comment that sounded a bit like a game show host.
“Only when you work with them for a long time do you know them well. There is always a surprise behind the door when you work for the team for three or four or five months,” he said.
It’s like a prize package: “hey, what’s behind door number two?!” “Let’s see what’s behind door number three.”
Mourinho continued:
“Every game I know more about my players, especially the ones who are on the pitch. Obviously I would like to have other players playing more, so I can see more and I can learn more about them.”
“I had in my mind to play with Memphis for 20, 25 minutes [against Zorya Luhansk] but I couldn’t with the way that I had to make changes. But we need the squad, that’s for sure. The Europa League is the competition that disturbs more than the domestic competitions because you play Thursdays.”
This far, Mourinho really has the health and fitness of his side going for him. Phil Jones is the only player who’s really hurt.
Of course, that can always change in a heartbeat too. It’s very very long; with surprises behind every door.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.