Manchester United players have criticised Jose Mourinho's emphatic admission.
Jose Mourinho is the former manager of Manchester United.
Gus Poyet, a former Chelsea midfielder, has urged fans to quit criticizing Manchester United's most recent managers and instead place blame on the players for the club's current plight.
United's chances of finishing in the top four this season were dealt another blow on Sunday as they were defeated 4-1 by City in the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium. The Reds are presently in fifth place in the Premier League, one point behind Arsenal, who have three games in hand.
The setback to City served as yet another reminder of how far United lags behind its opponents and how urgently they require the summer to complete the necessary rebuilding work. In addition to making personnel changes, the club must also find a permanent replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
However, while a new permanent manager is likely to solve United's recent troubles, the players must also accept responsibility for the club's collapse. Poyet, a former Chelsea player, says it is past time for fans to stop throwing fingers at United's managers, citing the several options they have pursued since Sir Alex Ferguson departed in 2013.
"The problem at Manchester United is extremely straightforward to detect," Poyet remarked in an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes at the launch of their '5-A-Side bet on Chelsea v Newcastle.' "You could blame a club for changing their manager once or twice, but how many have tried since Sir Alex Ferguson?
"Is it still the manager who's the issue now that they're on their sixth permanent manager? Because everyone is always talking about Man United's boss.
"People are starting to dig more into things right now, but it was Ralf Rangnick who was apparently the problem a month ago. Stop blaming the manager and talking about him.
"They've tried every style, character, and nationality imaginable, and they still aren't performing." On paper, it appears to be an incredible team with plenty of power, size, and skill. However, it isn't working.
"When that happens, the problem, in my opinion, is the core of the team." They're the issue because they're the team's foundation; they're the ones they need to center everything around. It's evident to me that this isn't a management issue.
"It's plain sense; when someone is fired and a new management takes over and improves things, you can go back and say there was a clear problem with the former manager." Don't tell me it's the project's fault if things haven't changed after five managers.
"They annihilated Jose Mourinho's team, although he did win a few titles with them. And he was supposed to be United's greatest nightmare?
"Perhaps they should reconsider their claims. If you recall, he said things about certain players... he said some very harsh things about them - but he still won trophies. The others haven't been able to accomplish this."
Mauricio Pochettino of Paris Saint-Germain and Erik ten Hag of Ajax are the frontrunners to take over at Old Trafford at the moment. Regardless of who wins the position, Poyet says that United will take a fresh approach to everything, including contact with fans.
He went on to say: "The club needs to dig a little deeper, take a different strategy, and engage with the fans more effectively. Whoever is elected next must explain their goals to the board's supporters.
"Send a message to the fans and make something with the next three seasons in mind. Select a coach and delegate authority to him.
"Allow him to finish sixth in his first season if necessary, then allow him to cut a few players and gradually assemble his own club. The issue is that people associate Manchester United with the image of a team that must win, which dates back to Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure.
"They are, however, a long way from that. We're talking about a club from nearly a decade ago."
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