Opposition View: Manchester United
- Manchester United manager José Mourinho evaluates Leicester City's main threats
- The United boss has guided them to two successive victories at the start of the season
- Mourinho expects City to be a dangerous opposition at Old Trafford on Saturday
- MUTV and BT Sport commentator Adam Summerton also provides his thoughts on the clash
The north west outfit have started the new Premier League season in breathless fashion with successive 4-0 victories over West Ham United and Swansea City.
Mourinho, though, is aware that City have the ability to cause them problems after promising performances against Arsenal, Brighton and Hove Albion and Sheffield United.
“I think they are the same team as they were two seasons ago,” Mourinho admitted, remembering the Club’s historic 2016 title success.
“Are they going to be champions again? Honestly, I don't think so because there are many teams that I don't think all of them are going to fail.
“But I think in terms of their qualities, I think they are the same team and they are playing exactly the same way they played before.”
At closer inspection, Mourinho says the Foxes have made an encouraging start of their own to the new campaign and sees much to be enthused about for Craig Shakespeare.
“[City’s] game against Arsenal ended with a defeat but could have ended with a victory,” he said.
“At home, they won comfortably [against Brighton last weekend], midweek [against Sheffield United in the Carabao Cup] they changed their whole team and they won very comfortably.
“[They played] with players that probably, some of them they are not even going to be on the bench tomorrow.
“So, I think they are back to their normality and, for me, their normality is a very difficult match for us tomorrow.”
Adam Summerton, a commentator who works for MUTV, as well as BT Sport, has also provided his thoughts on the clash to LCFC Radio this week.
“United’s aims this season will be to challenge for every honour that is available to them,” he said. “They have a very deep squad with, in some cases, three players in each position.
“They will believe they can challenge for the Premier League title and they will want to go as far as they can in the Champions League.
“I don’t quite think they will have enough to win it. We saw against Real Madrid in the Super Cup that they still have a little way to go to match those kinds of teams.”
Despite that, Summerton is confident that Mourinho’s ‘jigsaw’ approach to his summer business will help the 20-time champions add yet another title to their collection.
He continued: “There are many threats in this Manchester United side. The way they are playing is quite different to Louis van Gaal’s style and even Mourinho’s first season.
“He was developing a style of play and it’s like a jigsaw pattern. He will bring the players in that he needs to match that style of play. We’ve seen that with [Nemanja] Matic and Lukaku’s arrivals.
“Matic frees up space for Paul Pogba, who is more expressive in the final third, and Lukaku changes the dynamic by offering them more options.
“He can link up the play and it has speeded up United’s play, particularly in the final third.”