Prior to January, Manchester United fans would have included Paul Pogba among their candidates for Player of The Season, an award previously won by Ander Herrera after being handed to David de Gea for three consecutive seasons.
Pogba has dipped in form since then and has been left out of the team on numerous occasions as a result. An alleged rift between Mourinho and the player then dominated the headlines but the reality of the situation is Pogba should be doing significantly better.
The Frenchman's entourage is of the view their client is being played out of position, therefore, cannot reach previous heights as seen at Juventus. But it is interesting that Pogba plays a familiar deep-lying role under Didier Deschamps for France and was partly blamed for France’s shortcomings at the 2016 European Championships.
Maybe this is a makeshift role for Pogba but my point is Mourinho isn’t the only manager to apply the midfielder to such a role in recent years, and he has not shown either manager that he warrants any given right to play where he wishes.
Moving on, there are few players that deserve a mention when it comes to Manchester United Player of The Year for 2017/18. David De Gea, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic all spring to mind but it’s the Belgian I feel is most deserving.
Lukaku arrived with the weight of the world on his shoulders after costing United £80 million. Quite rightly, there was an immediate expectation for him to be the main goal scorer but this side is different to United teams of old. For instance, if you put a club great like Ruud van Nistelrooy into this side, with limited opportunities for the frontman to convert he too would struggle, and criticism towards Lukaku from fans and neutrals seems harsh.
This is a side known for being ultimately conservative and Lukaku, currently on 25 goals -- two goals from recording his best ever season tally -- has done remarkably well.
Another honourable mention for Player of The Season is Nemanja Matic. After being pushed through the door at Chelsea, a club that laughably preferred Tiémoué Bakayoko to sit alongside N’Golo Kanté, Matic found himself reunited with Mourinho at Old Trafford and added reassurance to the midfield.
Matic was a classic Mourinho second-season purchase who brought midfield stability and control the manager seeks, but the central department of this side still requires another addition to allow Pogba to shine. The former Juventus man has been asked to play in a deep-lying midfield role beside Matic but he doesn’t possess the attributes or discipline and is better in a midfield three.
However, that’s not a criticism of the Serbia international. He’s made United a more solid unit but there are still pieces missing from the jigsaw.
It goes without saying that David de Gea will be in contention for the prestigious prize too, although it’s not a great sign to see a goalkeeper win so many Player of The Year awards, suggesting that the side is over-reliant and he’s being overworked.
What’s more is United have the best defensive record in the Premier League which is completely down to De Gea rather than an average back four consisting of two wingers in full-back positions and inconsistent pairings at centre-backs.
An argument can also be made for Jesse Lingard given his important role this season but he’s not played as much as the trio mentioned, therefore, doesn’t deserve it as much.
It is a testament to Mourinho that two of these players are his signings from the previous transfer window, proving a transfer strategy is working unlike that of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, but success needs to continue in the transfer market if United are to push Manchester City for the Premier League title.
