Paul Parker: United have sold their soul by giving Mourinho keys to Old Trafford

You often hear the term ‘panic buy’ when it comes to transfers but we can say that turning to Jose Mourinho was a ‘panic appointment’ by Manchester United. I think it’s a mark of desperation: after the club employed two unsuccessful managers they went for a sure thing in terms of winning trophies. But in doing so, Manchester United have sold their soul.

Desperation has enveloped the club and after falling into the trap of scrabbling around for a star name the result is an appointment which rejects the identity the club has built up over decades. In terms of the style of play, the integrity associated with the role and importance of youth players, Mourinho goes against every prominent strand of what makes up a very special club.

You have to be careful that you don’t live in the past, and Manchester United is a progressive club which always looks forward. But you can’t forget the past either, and there is still a mission statement which endures at Old Trafford.

Do you want attractive football? You aren’t going to get that with Mourinho. Do you want a manager who shows dignity when he loses? You aren’t going to get that either. Do you want young players to be nurtured and brought into the first team? You certainly aren’t going to get that.

Mourinho’s appointment doesn’t tick any of the right boxes. If you consider United’s history and the hopes and desires of their supporters, it doesn’t make any sense beyond simply winning trophies. That will always be important, especially at Manchester United, but it isn’t the whole picture either.

Fans who go to Old Trafford want to see players who lift them off their feet; youngsters who are bursting with potential, just like the great youngsters of old that their parents and grandparents told them about.

Will Marcus Rashford blossom into the player we all hope he can become under Mourinho? Will he do what he did in the Manchester City game this season and pin down Martin Demichelis, leave him for dust and slot it into the corner? No. Because he knows that if he does it twice and it doesn’t quite come off his manager will be having a stern word with him.

I’m trying not to be negative because it’s Manchester United and it means a lot to me but I know what it means to represent the club. Any Manchester United fans who are saying, ‘Mourinho is great’, aren’t really Manchester United fans in my opinion, because they aren’t looking at the club’s blueprint and ethos. They are new fans who only see trophies. They don’t know anything about Manchester United.

Mourinho needed to rebuild his reputation after what happened at Chelsea and this appointment will give him credibility, even if it ultimately damages United’s through what transpires under his rule. His spells at Real Madrid and most recently at Chelsea hardly improved the public image of either team. In fact, he damaged it in both cases.

He is self-aggrandising and loves to be the story. All those years at Chelsea during his first spell at the club and we were told that he was making a scene to take the pressure off his players. I think the real motivation was to take the spotlight off them and put it on him. He wants to use Manchester United to build his own little empire and restore his reputation.

What does United under Mourinho look like? I certainly think there’s a chance they could win the title. They’d need to improve a hell of a lot to do it next season but in the next three years they could definitely win the Premier League. The problem comes in what happens at the end of those three years.

The most honest Chelsea fans will tell you what comes next. It works for a couple of years but then his abrasive style of management ensures things start to fall apart.

The key question for any manager is whether he leaves the club in a better state than which he found it. Will Mourinho do that? Absolutely not. Not a chance.

Chelsea have struggled for a left-back all season after letting arguably the best one in the world leave last summer. Did Filipe Luis benefit from Mourinho’s management and progress under him?

Nemanja Matic went from being the best holding midfielder in the league to a player who couldn’t get his game right. Why? What about Eden Hazard? What was behind his catastrophic loss of form this season?

If you do your due diligence there are plenty of red flags around Mourinho’s appointment, but United have fallen into the trap of seeking a quick-fix due to their desperation. Sadly, I can only see it ending in tears.