No one at Manchester United is happy with where the club are in the Premier League table at the minute, and Jose Mourinho is desperately trying to turn around their form.
A 1-0 win over Tottenham on Sunday ended a barren run of results at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils having failed to win at home since beating Leicester 4-1 on September 24, prior to their weekend victory.
But the Portuguese is still trying to find the killer instinct that will turn draws into wins, with United having drawn three of their last four games.
However, perhaps man management will not be one of the tactics Mourinho will be using to help get the best out of his underperforming squad over the festive period.
According to The Sun, Manchester United’s players will have to report to training at 4.30pm on Christmas Day at Old Trafford, rather than their Carrington training base.
And the club’s training staff will also be forced to skip spending time with their families, enjoying a traditional roast dinner – instead, having to up sticks from the training base to Old Trafford and preparing for the Boxing Day clash at home to Sunderland.
Even under the strict regime of Mourinho’s predecessor, Louis van Gaal, players were given time off on Christmas day, while the club’s old guard had reportedly “never heard anything like it” – even during Sir Alex Ferguson’s long reign at the club.
All teams will have some form of training before their respective Boxing Day matches, however, Mourinho is taking a far stricter approach in a bid to make sure that the Red Devils are amongst the top four in early 2017.
“Everyone is seriously p***** off. They’ve never heard anything like it – not even under Fergie.” a Manchester United source told The Sun.
“All the staff are used to coming in and sorting training out at Carrington but having it at Old Trafford adds a whole new level of organisation and brings more staff in.
“Jose’s had a face like thunder at the training ground for most of the season and is clearly not happy with results.
“Some staff will even have to stay later on to sort out the pitch and stadium for the next day’s home game.
“He’s effectively cancelled Christmas.”
And it appears Christmas was already cancelled for Mourinho, with the United boss still staying at the Lowry Hotel while his family remain in London.
The Portuguese has considered buying a flat in Manchester, having cut a miserable figure when spotted leaving his hotel for training, but could well be alone on Christmas day as he puts all his focus on his side’s game against the struggling Black Cats the next day.
United remain sixth, after Sunday’s win against Spurs, but close the gap on north Londoners to three points, who are directly above them in the table.
But despite collecting a much-needed win at the weekend, the Red Devils are six points shy of the top four and local rivals Manchester City, who suffered a 4-2 defeat at Leicester on Saturday.