3 reasons why Jose Mourinho must be sacked after the defeat against West Ham

#3 Mourinho no longer has the financial backing from the United board

Jose Mourinho alongside chairman Ed Woodward

Jose Mourinho made his desire to sign a centre-half very clear, with the former Porto manager openly admitting to looking at both Toby Alderwiereld and Diego Godin as partners for Eric Bailly in the heart of the United defence. The Portuguese manager does not have any faith in his current centre-halves, with Phil Jones validating Mourinho's apprehensions against Derby after 90 minutes of unconvincing defending and a crucial miss in the penalty shoot-out which sent the club crashing out of the EFL Cup.

All of Mourinho's most successful stints have featured a sturdy backline. At Real Madrid, he had the commanding figures of Pepe and Sergio Ramos marshalling the defence, with John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho doing the same during Jose's first spell at Chelsea. The 52-year-old does not have the same defensive solidity with Phil Jones and Chris Smalling not providing the right foundation.

Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez have incredible levels of talent but have been restricted by Mourinho's defensive mentality, with both looking like the shadows of the players they were at their former clubs.

Both Jose and the United board have to take responsibility for the unsuccessful recruitment in all areas of the pitch. Victor Lindelof has failed to blossom since his breakthrough season at United which earnt him his £30.75 million move to Manchester. Bailly has shown promise during his two years in England but cannot play every week due to his persistent injuries. The lack of a centre-half signing indicates the board's lack of faith in Jose, with the manager unable to rectify this in the transfer market.