Ron Atkinson, who held the top job at United for five years in the 1980s, believes Mourinho’s antagonistic approach to management and reliance on a siege mentality cannot work at the country’s biggest football club.
United go to Northampton in the EFL Cup on Wednesday desperately seeking redemption after three defeats in a row – against Manchester City, Feyenoord and Watford – and Atkinson believes a turnaround of fortunes relies on the Portuguese changing his ways.
‘There’s nothing wrong with being fiercely protective of your players, but that doesn’t mean you have to antagonise everybody else,’ he told the Daily Mirror.
‘I don’t think that approach would work at Manchester United because it can lead to the club becoming claustrophobic.
‘It is a global brand and you cannot run it as your personal fiefdom.’
The 77-year-old, who won two FA Cups during his time with the Red Devils, said Mourinho needed to recognise that United are not involved in an ‘us against the world’ battle.
‘United is an expansive club, it’s a club of the people,’ he said.
‘Telling everyone that ‘It’s us against the world’ doesn’t really wash, because United have lots of friends – they probably have more fans on the planet than anyone else.
‘Jose has an engaging personality and it would be a shame if he got sidetracked by siege mentality and taking on the world.’
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