Mourinho knew Man Utd job 'wouldn't be easy' as title questions remain

Jose Mourinho insists he took the reins at Manchester United aware that it “wouldn’t be an easy job”, but he remains fully committed to it.

The Red Devils turned to the Portuguese after seeing David Moyes and Louis van Gaal struggle to fill the void created by Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.

Mourinho was acquired on the back of a proven track record of delivering success across Europe.

He landed three trophies in his debut campaign, but anyone in charge of United is expected to challenge for the Premier League title and questions have been asked of the Red Devils this season and the ability of their manager to claim that crown while favouring a cautious approach.

Mourinho, though, is accustomed to facing criticism and continues to work towards long-term goals, telling reporters ahead of a trip to West Brom: “We are second, this is where we are, not first and not third.

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“We take one match at a time, let’s see where we are at the end of the season. I signed a three-year contract because that was the time that myself and the board decided to be my contract at that time.

“I knew that it wouldn’t be an easy job, I had a similar experience before in huge historic clubs.

“In big clubs people look to the history of the club and not the current moment, that is difficult.

“When I go to Real Madrid, they were in a difficult moment, no titles for many years, it was hard but good for my development as a manager.”

United have seen arch-rivals Manchester City surge 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League table, with a costly derby defeat contributing to the Red Devils slipping off the pace.

There is, however, still a long way to go in the battle for top-flight supremacy, while United also remain in the Carabao Cup and Champions League and have an FA Cup campaign to kick-off in January.