Mour mind games? Jose Mourinho 'thinks Solskjaer is out of his depth at Manchester United'

Jose Mourinho has been claiming that Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer "might be out of his depth," according to reports in the UK, as the Portuguese prepares his Tottenham team to face his former club.

Mourinho and Spurs welcome United to London on Friday as the pair restart their Premier League campaigns following the Covid-19 hiatus. 

For the Portuguese, 57, it is a chance to get one over on the club where he spent two and a half seasons as manager before being sacked in December of 2018. 

Three-time Premier League winner Mourinho was replaced by United playing legend and former Cardiff City and Molde manager Solskjaer, who initially arrived on a caretaker basis before being handed the job full time last March after winning 14 of his first 19 matches in charge.

After Solskjaer's permanent appointment the Old Trafford club dropped off dramatically toward the end of last season and were patchy at best for large parts of this season – before going on a 10-game unbeaten run prior to the coronavirus pandemic halting play. 

Mourinho and Solskjaer at Old Trafford in December. © Reuters

The resumption of action sees Solskjaer's team travel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium fifth in the table, three points behind Chelsea in the race for a Champions League spot.

Mourinho's Spurs, meanwhile, find themselves four points behind United in eighth.

Perhaps with a view to starting the mind games early, Mourinho "is said to have been telling people the Norwegian might be out of his depth" in the Old Trafford hotseat, according to a report in The Athletic. 

Solskjaer impressed with United's startling initial uptick in form when he first arrived as manager, following what had been the increasingly dour tenure of Mourinho – who had led United to the League Cup and Europa League titles in his first season in charge, and a second-place finish in the table in his second term.

United finished last season sixth under Solskjaer and looked to be stuttering again during the current campaign before the arrival of Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes revitalized them.

Fernandes has given United a major boost with his performances in midfield. © Reuters

After a lengthy layoff which included a second stint as an RT pundit, Mourinho stepped into the Spurs dugout in November following the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino.

The London club have been steady rather than spectacular since then, although they have had to contend with injuries to key players including the prolific Harry Kane and South Korean sidekick Son Heung-Min.

Both Kane and Son are expected to return for visit of United on Friday, but Spurs will be without Dele Alli after the England man was handed a one-match ban for appearing to make light of the coronavirus situation in a social media video posted at the beginning of the outbreak. 

Despite two-time Champions League winner Mourinho's alleged barbs against the man who replaced him at Old Trafford, Solskjaer claimed bragging rights the last time the pair's paths met in the Premier League, as United beat Spurs 2-1 thanks to a double from England forward Marcus Rashford, in a game the Reds had largely dominated.