Jose Mourinho Manchester United

Mourinho has taken Man Utd out of reverse but flaws remain, says Robson

Manchester United are no longer going backwards under Jose Mourinho, says Bryan Robson, but there is still room for improvement.

The Red Devils found themselves stagnating in the wake of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, with David Moyes’ ill-fated tenure placing the club on a slippery slope.

Louis van Gaal steadied the ship and secured FA Cup glory, but the Dutchman faced criticism for the manner in which he set about collecting results.

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Mourinho’s arrival in 2016, and subsequent three-trophy haul in his debut campaign, has helped to lift the mood around Old Trafford once more, with Robson of the opinion that United are back on the right track.

The former Red Devils captain told Sky Sports: "I think we keep improving as a football team and, as a football club, we're getting back to where we should be.

"You've got to say not last season but the season before we won the FA Cup, which was great to do but the performances weren't great and, for me, we were going backwards.

"For me, since Jose's been in, we've started improving.

"We won three trophies last year and let's see what we can win this year."

Romelu Lukaku Manchester United

While spotting signs of encouragement at United, Robson believes there are areas to work on.

A Premier League title bid has started to burn out in 2017-18, with Mourinho being called upon to ensure that his side become more clinical when it comes to seeing games out.

Robson added: "I don't know what it is with the players at the moment because they did it against Arsenal - get off to a great start and then go on the back-foot and try and play a bit defensive rather than go for the killer goal.

"But like against West Brom at the weekend [in a 2-1 win], West Brom score and then all of a sudden it becomes a nervous last 10 minutes.

"So the lads have got to get that out of their system.

"You've got to keep pressing and doing the right things which gets you that lead in the first place.

"I'm sure the manager's talking to the players about that and going for the jugular and making sure you win the game and are not hanging on."

United currently sit 11 points adrift of arch-rivals Manchester City in the battle for Premier League supremacy, with their attention set to be shifted to knockout competition in midweek as they take on Bristol City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

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