Wednesday 27 December 2017 12:45, UK
Ray Wilkins says Jose Mourinho is "a wonderful deflector of situations" after the Manchester United manager claimed he needs more money to spend.
Mourinho blamed United's lack of spending for them falling further behind Manchester City in the Premier League title race, despite the club outlaying around £319m since the Portuguese took charge in 2016.
Wilkins believes Mourinho's comments are an attempt to deflect attention away from his players after a second successive 2-2 draw but says some of the performances are below the required standard.
"Jose doesn't like to criticise his players," Wilkins told Sky Sports News. "Now he's had a slight dig at the club for the fact that he hasn't spent enough money. He's not actually said who he needs and where he wants them to play.
"He's a wonderful deflector of situations. I love him to pieces and think the Premier League is a healthier place with him in it, but all of a sudden it's about Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy costing £50m.
"They've all spent roughly the same amount of money but when I look at the goals Manchester United conceded against Burnley, they are making bad errors at bad periods in games."
Wilkins expects Manchester City to extend their lead at the top of the table to 15 points when they travel to Newcastle on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports Premier League, and says United's players must shoulder some of the blame.
"[Mourinho] is extremely disappointed with the way results are going," said the former Manchester United midfielder.
"He would expect to be just a couple of points behind City at this stage of the season. Unfortunately, they're not and he's spent a hell of a lot of money as well.
"But it's about time some of the players started stepping up a touch. It's a very special place to play football and some of them aren't reaching the heights he expects them to be at.
"How wisely has that money been spent? I would say very wisely. Romelu Lukaku is a goal machine in the Premier League, Paul Pogba is one of the best midfielders on the planet when he is at his peak. Nemanja Matic is one of the best holding midfielders and David De Gea is the best goalkeeper in the world.
"They've got the quality within that group. It's about time some of those players started performing."
