United lacks quality, not desire: Mourinho
Jose Mourinho lamented a lack of quality at Manchester United after another loss, but insisted his players' attitudes could not be questioned.
Mourinho has now led Manchester United to its joint worst start to a Premier League season after his side was beaten at West Ham United 3-1.
In the Premier League era, United has never collected a lower number of points after its first seven matches of the season.
Mourinho's 2018/2019 tally matches the 10 points from seven games taken by United under David Moyes in his disastrously short reign as Alex Ferguson's successor.
United slumped to a second successive defeat as the Hammer to a Premier League victory at London Stadium to pile more pressure on Mourinho at the culmination of a difficult week in which his side was also eliminated from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Championship side Derby County.
Despite claiming that he has no concerns over the attitudes of his players, Mourinho, who took Paul Pogba off during the second half, said United's squad lacked quality.
"I have no complaints with the players' attitude, I can have complaints with some quality and the mental approach in certain duals," he said.
"Where you could see for example, [Robert] Snodgrass coming to the pitch with an incredible attitude that he wants to eat the ball and eat everyone around him.
"You need that humility. You have always to try. That's my nature as a football professional. There are certain qualities that you have or you don’t have.
"I think a team that comes with that mental fragility, after the bad result [against Derby County] and to come here and in five minutes to be 1-0 down, is not good.
"No VAR [video assistant referee] and obviously a linesman [makes a] mistake and a goal. Then in the first half we had a good reaction but an own goal makes it 2-0.
"An own goal when we know that [Andriy] Yarmolenko is very left footed. We know we have to cover that side. We are not aggressive enough to stop that shot and we are losing 2-0."
Alexis Sanchez was not involved at all, with Mourinho starting Anthony Martial alongside Romelu Lukaku, and United's manager revealed it was a tactical decision.
"For many months people are asking for Martial, Martial, Martial," Mourinho said.
"For many months people are saying Alexis Sanchez is not playing well enough. So this week was time to agree and to say, let's give a chance to Martial and let's leave Alexis out."
West Ham, meanwhile, has now won two of its past three league games having lost its opening four fixtures in the league under Manuel Pellegrini, but the former Manchester City manager was adamant complacency must not kick in.
"Against Everton, Chelsea, Manchester United, people thought we were going to have no points," Pellegrini said.
"Now we are in a good moment, but this is a very difficult moment also. If you think you are going to beat Brighton because you beat United, then you are going to lose."
