Jose Mourinho has given a clear indication of his plans to rebuild his Manchester United squad this summer by claiming that some players are not going to "make it" after questioning the strength of their mentality.
Mourinho, whose team can secure second in the Premier League with a point at West Ham United on Thursday, has criticised the performance of his team on numerous occasions this season and most recently after the 1-0 defeat at Brighton on Friday.
That loss was the third time United had been beaten by a promoted team away from home this season following defeats at Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United.
But with United also claiming league wins against every team in the top seven, Mourinho admitted he is concerned by the mindset of his players in games against so-called smaller teams and that some of them have now proven to him that they cannot live up to his standards.
"How many points separate us from Manchester City?" Mourinho said. "Not two, three or four. A lot of points.
"Some of the people we have, they have to be more consistent in their performance and we need more quality. I trust some more than others that can bridge that gap. That's normal. I know the players. I worked with the players for a couple of years, so I know them better than anyone."And of course, some of the players I am totally convinced are going to make it, some others I have good hopes that they are going to make it and some others I don't believe they are going to make it. In my squad, I have some players where I would like to have better than what I have. That's basic."
Written by Mark Ogden, ESPN