Rui Faria left Manchester United at the end of last season
A long-time ally and assistant to manager Jose Mourinho, Rui Faria’s two-year spell at Old Trafford came to an end after he departed the club in May.
While Mourinho has since added further coaches – including former midfielder Michael Carrick – to his staff, the Portuguese coach’s recent behaviour has reportedly led some at Old Trafford to question the wisdom of allowing Faria to leave so easily.
According to reports, Manchester United officials believe that the former assistant coach – a man who was not exactly the most mild-mannered himself – was the only person capable of keeping Mourinho in check, and that his departure has led to the former Chelsea coach becoming more and more volatile.
It is believed that Faria was one of the few people willing to stand up to Mourinho, and one of an equally rare group capable of changing his mind on an issue.
This season has seen Mourinho criticised for ongoing cynicism and negativity, behaviour which could be seen during interviews in pre-season, and has continued into the Premier League season.
Manchester United won their first Premier League match 2-1 against Leicester City, but a 3-1 away defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in their second league match means that pressure is already mounting on Mourinho.
This has been exacerbated by rumours of rifts between the manager and members of his squad, most notably Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba.
