Solskjaer brought a fresh approach and lifted a lot of the gloom after taking over on an interim basis, winning 10 of his first 11 games, but form then deserted him after being appointed full-time.

United won just two of their last nine league games and finished in sixth, outside the Champions League positions.

Mourinho told L'Equipe: "Generally, the players can feel a certain erosion, especially when you ask a lot of them.

"When I say that the second season was fantastic, I say it because the potential and the objectives were met.

"I really squeezed, like an orange, to achieve them. When you have a very professional group of players who are ambitious, hard-working and talented, at a structured club, you don't have that erosion.

"When you are almost alone, in that you don't have the support of the club close to you, while certain players go somewhat against the coach, who is the nice guy.

"I don't want to be the nice guy, because the nice guy, after three months, is a puppet and that doesn't end well."

Mourinho continues to rate last season's second place highly – when United finished 19 points behind Manchester City – and feels recent events have cast it in a greater light.

The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss said: "I said nine or 10 months ago that after winning eight championships, finishing second with United may have been my greatest achievement. Now people understand.

"About United I want to say only two things: One is that time has spoken. Two is that the problems are still there."

Mourinho reportedly had his differences with record signing Paul Pogba, but he insists the problems at the club go far deeper than the France midfielder.

He said: "The problems are there, you can say that these are the players, the organisation, the ambition. I only say that I cannot say 'yes' when you ask if Paul was the only one responsible."

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