Jose Mourinho has every reason to feel glum… Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United had three more points at this stage last season

• Jose Mourinho has taken 13 points from seven Premier League matches
• Louis van Gaal picked up 16 points for the Red Devils at this point last term
• Manchester United dropped points at home to Stoke City on Sunday
• Mourinho’s men conceded a late equaliser to the Potters at Old Trafford

Jose Mourinho has worn an irked expression in recent weeks as his Manchester United team have failed to find their rhythm in the Premier League.

With the statistic surfacing that much-maligned predecessor Louis van Gaal accumulated 16 points at this point last season, as opposed to Mourinho’s 13 from seven games, it is perhaps no wonder that the Portuguese seems so peeved.

Having spent over £150million this summer, signing world-class talent in Eric Bailly, Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mourinho surely expected a more routine start to his first campaign at United.

However, as the Red Devils failed to beat struggling Stoke City at home on Sunday afternoon – with Joe Allen’s 82nd-minute equaliser cancelling out substitute Anthony Martial’s opener – Mourinho found his side languishing in sixth position.

Mourinho has now won just four of his opening seven League games at the Old Trafford helm, drawing one and losing two.

Conversely, Van Gaal picked up five victories from his first seven matches in the top tier last term, drawing once and losing once.

Admittedly, with the added firepower of Ibrahimovic and a now-discovered Marcus Rashford, Mourinho’s United have scored one goal more than Van Gaal’s team managed last season – 13, as opposed to 12.

Yet, United have leaked far more goals already this term – with eight conceded, instead of five.

That statistic is sure to worry Mourinho most of all, with an average of over one goal let in per Premier League game, so far.

Mourinho must also be particularly puzzled by United’s form since September.

They made the perfect start to their League campaign, with three consecutive wins in August.

That began with a 3-1 away victory over Bournemouth, before beating Southampton 2-0 at the Theatre of Dreams, and Hull City 1-0 – with a last-gasp winner at the KCOM Stadium.

After the September international break, however, United were greeted with a Manchester derby at home to arch-rivals City – which they lost 2-1 – before a 3-1 away defeat by Watford followed.

That was United’s third loss in a row having been beaten 1-0 by Feyenoord away, in their first match of Europa League Group A.

Three victories then followed – beating Northampton 3-1 away in the EFL Cup third round, Leicester City 4-1 at home in the League, and Zorya Luhansk unconvincingly 1-0 in Europe – but as October dawned, United stuttered once more, this time against the Potters.

After the upcoming international break, United play Liverpool at Anfield in what could be the biggest test of Mourinho’s newly-assembled team’s character on Monday, October 17.