Time is ticking on Jose Mourinho’s time at Manchester United.

United followed up their Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Derby by losing 3-1 to West Ham on Saturday.

It left Mourinho’s side nine points off Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League and heaped even more pressure on the Portuguese boss.

Mourinho tried something different for the visit to the London Stadium by playing a back-three with Scott McTominay as a centre-back.

McTominay has been used as a defensive midfielder for much of his United career but the Scott was preferred to Eric Bailly - an unused sub - alongside Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof against West Ham.

It confused pundits and, according to Manchester Evening News, it “baffled” the United players.

They’ve produced a report explaining just what the players thought of Mourinho’s decision to play McTominay in a back three.

“Manchester United players were baffled by Jose Mourinho's use of Scott McTominay as a centre-back in their Premier League humbling by West Ham on Saturday,” the report states.

“A dressing room source told the MEN some players felt the selection of McTominay over Bailly 'made no sense' as United shipped three goals with an auxiliary defender in a back three for the second month running.”

Earlier in the season, Mourinho used Ander Herrera in a back-three against Spurs which resulted in a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.

However, after the match, Mourinho insisted that McTominay had a brilliant game against West Ham despite the 3-1 loss.

"I felt we needed quality on the ball on the building up from the back and Scott McTominay has that quality with the ball," Mourinho said.

"Everything that left his foot was correct, was accurate, the passes to Ashley Young on the right, the passes to Matic, the passes to the striker, everything was accurate from him.

"A part of a special character, a special personality, that a team in a negative moment needs this kind of mentality like Scott McTominay has."