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

Manchester United's faltering campaign went from bad to worse, as they lost 3-1 to the Hammers at the London Stadium. The defeat left the Red Devils well off the pace even before the 15:00 GMT fixtures had been played and might leave the Manchester United board without any option but to relieve Jose Mourinho of his managerial duties.

Mourinho's side got off to the worst possible start as they conceded after only five minutes on the clock, as Felipe Anderson rounded off an incisive West Ham move with a clever back-heeled finish. United were, however, powerless to prevent the second goal, as Andrey Yarmolenko's shot took a wicked deflection off Victor Lindelof and wrong-footed David de Gea.

Marcus Rashford halved the deficit 71 minutes in and gave Manchester United a chance of salvaging a point and keeping up with their top-six rivals in the race for the Champions League spots. Two minutes later and the United backline was exposed once more, as Mark Noble slotted Marko Arnautovic through, with the Austrian restoring the Hammers' two-goal cushion.

The result today and the recent disputes with stars such as Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford mirrors the pattern followed during Mourinho's third seasons in charge of Real Madrid and Chelsea. Here are three reasons why ditching the former Inter Milan manager could prove the only way of reviving this current season.

#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.

#2 Mourinho's lack of connection with the players

Jose Mourinho with Paul Pogba

In his attempts to get results, Jose has been constantly rotating the squad in search of his best eleven even though he is three seasons into his tenure at Manchester United. Paul Pogba came out in the draw against Wolves and demanded that Manchester United " attack, attack, attack" at Old Trafford when looking for the winning goal, with the Frenchman taking aim at Mourinho's conservative tactics.

Jose started off with a 4-3-3 formation but opted to play the former Juve midfielder as part of the front three, despite the Frenchman being best suited to playing in the middle of the park. Antonio Valencia has failed to impress under Jose Mourinho, with the former Real manager signing Diego Dalot during the summer. Dalot showed genuine promise against Young Boys and Derby and might have been a contender to start the match against West Ham. Rather than letting the young right back grow and develop, he opted for Ashley Young who too has failed to impress much like Antonio Valencia.

Scott McTominay's inclusion also raised eyebrows amongst Manchester United fans, considering he had not started a single game before the West Ham game. Later on in the game and McTominay found himself playing centre back, despite a fully-fit Eric Bailly available on the bench.

#1 Zinedine Zidane could be the answer to Manchester United's problems

Zinedine Zidane with the 2018 Champions League title

Every new appointment brings its own risks and apprehensions, with some gambles paying off and others backfiring massively. The United board, however, could find a more than adequate replacement in Zinedine Zidane, who will bring a new lease of life to the supporters and the club itself.

Zizou's unprecedented three Champions League wins on the trot put him up there with some of the greatest managers in the history of the game. When he took over the helm at Real, the club were in freefall and looked a shadow of their former selves while Rafa Benitez was in charge. Although Barcelona won the league title that season with a number of games to spare, Zidane galvanised the squad and brought the best out of them for the remaining games which ultimately culminated in a Champions League win against Atletico.

The former Real and Juve midfielder would face a similar task in bringing Manchester United out of the shadow cast by Man City in recent years. He would give the players more freedom and licence to express themselves, whilst demonstrating the tactics needed to survive in the new era of football.