“I have nothing to say. You know me.”

Jose Mourinho was tight-lipped as he was approached for comment by Sky Sports one day after being sacked by Manchester United.

The Portuguese coach has returned to his family home in London having stayed at the Lowry Hotel during his time in Manchester.

It’s entirely understandable that Mourinho would be unwilling to speak given what’s happened in the past 24 hours.

Man United decided to relieve him of his duties with the club in a desperate state; they are sixth in the Premier League table, 11 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

The writing has been on the wall for some time and Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool was the final straw.

Yet Mourinho’s actions behind the scenes provide a further explanation as to why he simply had to go.

Mourinho failed to attend Christmas party

According to The Sun, the 55-year-old broke tradition by failing to attend a Christmas dinner with Man United staff last Friday.

“It’s a United tradition that everyone sits down for lunch at Carrington,” a club source told the newspaper.

“Jose didn’t even bother turning up to the canteen. As soon as training was finished he went back to his office.

“He then got his driver to collect him. It didn’t go down with the rank and file if truth be told.

“Everyone was sat down. It felt like a snub to everyone and their hard work throughout the year.”

United’s staff Christmas party is expected to be held at Lancashire County Cricket club on Thursday and it is thought that Mourinho wasn’t going to turn up if he was still in charge.

The former Chelsea boss didn’t attend the bash last year, something that Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes and Louis van Gaal did to allow their partners to mix with employees.

“The club always make sure it is a good night and spare no expense. It is a great morale booster,” the source continued.

“We know it is a busy time of year for the team but nobody is holding their breath that any of them will attend.”