Jose Mourinho must surely feel a degree of relief to be at the end of his nightmare spell at Manchester United.

The 55-year-old oversaw the Red Devils’ worst start to a season in almost three decades, parting ways with them after taking 26 points from a possible 51.

While Mourinho was arguably under greater pressure earlier in the campaign, his final match summed up everything wrong with his time in charge.

The Portuguese tactician watched Jurgen Klopp’s side comprehensively outclass his own at Anfield, conceding 36 shots at their goal and virtually two-thirds of possession.

All this happened as Paul Pogba - the marquee signing supposed to complement Mourinho’s appointment in 2016 - warmed the bench from the first whistle to the last.

Throughout his reign in Manchester, the three-time Premier League winner regularly claimed he lacked the required players to help United reclaim their dominance of England.

It’s an interesting excuse considering the club welcomed ten signings to the tune of £415 million across the five transfer windows during his tenure.

That said, it’s no secret Mourinho didn’t tick off every name on his shopping list.

The ex-Chelsea boss had been chasing a commanding centre-back for more than six months before his sacking, with Harry Maguire, Toby Alderweireld and Jerome Boateng among his preferred options.

However, in the case of the Bayern Munich defender, ESPN claims the pursuit of his services was cut short by Ed Woodward, rather than the player or his employers.

As expected, Mourinho was infuriated by the decision despite the sound logic of it.

The report by ESPN reads: “Woodward was forced to tell Mourinho they would not push the boat out to sign Jerome Boateng from Bayern Munich because of fears over his injury record.

“It was pointed out that the last two players Bayern had moved on to Old Trafford, Owen Hargreaves and Bastian Schweinsteiger, had not proved to be value for money.

“As it became apparent to Mourinho he would not get the new centre-back he wanted during the transfer window, he was overheard on the phone in the lobby of the team hotel in Miami during the preseason tour of the United States saying: “everything is s***.”

Well, perhaps this partially explains why Mourinho was often grumpy when asked for updates on any of his transfer plans.

There was always a sense of discord between him and his superiors, which is just one of several reasons his future at Old Trafford long seemed to be doomed.