da betano casino： With Jose Mourinho at the helm and summer signings such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba arriving at the club – the latter for a world-record £89m fee – Manchester United were considered to be one of the favourites for the Premier League title for the 2016/17 season.
da pinup bet： It hasn’t quite turned out that way, though, and the Red Devils will be in sixth position in the table on Christmas Day, 13 points behind leaders Chelsea.
A lack of consistency has been their downfall over the course of the campaign, but Mourinho finally seems to have found his preferred formation and starting XI in recent weeks, and it has paid dividends with the side starting to pick up some impressive results – they beat an in-form West Brom side 2-0 at The Hawthorns last weekend.
While that was one of the high points, there have also been plenty of lows too.
Here are TEN pictures that sum up United’s season so far…
Community Shield
Before they’d even kicked a ball in the league, United got their season off to the perfect start by lifting some silverware at Wembley.
Jose Mourinho’s side beat last season’s Premier League champions Leicester City 2-1 in the capital, with Jesse Lingard and Zlatan Ibrahimovic getting the goals for the Red Devils.
United supporters will hope that it was the first of many trophies under the leadership of Mourinho.
Bastian Schweinsteiger & Morgan Schneiderlin
Despite his vast experience in football, Schweinsteiger was made to train with the reserves by Jose Mourinho earlier in the campaign as he didn’t feel the German was part of his future plans.
The midfielder has been allowed to train with the first-team in recent weeks, but along with teammate Morgan Schneiderlin, they have found minutes on the pitch hard to come by and the duo could make their exits during the January transfer window.
Burnley struggle
With 72% possession and a staggering 38 shots at goal – eleven of which were on target – Man United’s draw with Burnley in October may well be remembered as one of the shock results of the campaign.
The Red Devils piled pressure on the Clarets, but Tom Heaton was in inspired form to keep them at bay, making stunning save after stunning save. The picture above sums up the frustration felt by the players that afternoon.
Jose Mourinho vs Chelsea
There was much anticipation ahead of Mourinho’s return to Chelsea with new club Manchester United following his sacking last December, but it turned out to be a nightmare evening for the Portuguese manager.
His Red Devils side put in a dismal performance as they were beaten 4-0 at Stamford Bridge, and it was certainly a huge dent in the ego of Mourinho, whose teams aren’t known for being on the end of scorelines like that.
Eric Bailly & Chris Smalling injuries
To compound Mourinho’s misery on his return to Stamford Bridge, summer signing Eric Bailly picked up an injury that he is still recovering from.
The centre-back was signed from Villarreal to improve a United backline that had appeared shaky at times last term, and he began the campaign in the heart of the defence alongside Chris Smalling.
However, the England international also picked up an injury, meaning the Red Devils have had to field a different pairing in recent weeks.
Phil Jones & Marcos Rojo
That brings us on to Jones and Rojo. During the summer, the defensive duo may have believed that they didn’t have long left at Old Trafford as they appeared to be way down Mourinho’s pecking order, but injuries have given them a chance to shine at the heart of the defence, and they have both taken it.
United have certainly looked a lot less shaky in recent weeks and they picked up an impressive clean sheet away at an in-form West Brom last weekend as the partnership between the two continues to flourish.
Marouane Fellaini vs Everton
The big Belgian isn’t one of the most popular players among United supporters and he did his cause no favours at all after coming on as a substitute against former side Everton with the Red Devils looking to protect a 1-0 advantage.
Fellaini entered the field in the 85th minute but just four minutes later he brought down Idrissa Gueye in the box, and Leighton Baines duly converted the penalty as Mourinho’s men dropped another two points.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic & Paul Pogba
The duo were arguably the most highly-anticipated arrivals in the Premier League during the summer and each has had their ups-and-downs this term.
Ibrahimovic began the season in fine form before enduring a bit of a goal drought, but he is now firing again after scoring three goals in his last two league appearances, including both in the 2-0 win against West Brom.
Meanwhile, Mourinho found it difficult at first to find Pogba’s best position in the side, but he seems to have found it now and the Frenchman is heavily influencing their matches – he picked up the Man of the Match awards in the successive wins against Crystal Palace and the Baggies.
Ibrahimovic – Goal machine
Despite suffering something of a goal drought halfway through the campaign so far, Ibrahimovic has shown the qualities he brings in a goalscoring sense by scoring 16 in all competitions for the Red Devils.
United lacked that prolific marksman last term but they seem to have found one now in the Swede, and you wouldn’t bet against him reaching 30 in total for the season if he can maintain his current streak in front of goal.
Wayne Rooney
During pre-season, Mourinho suggested that Rooney would only be used as a central midfielder this term, but it certainly hasn’t been the case for the United skipper who has often found himself deployed further forward.
While he has struggled for form at points – being named on the substitutes’ bench on a number of occasions – the captain has scored two Premier League goals and he also became the club’s all-time top scorer in Europe after netting against Feyenoord last month.